Taking Flight
by Gundoru
Summary: Yuya and company are getting a new friend! Takumi is a free-spirited boy out to find out what he's capable of, and what his future holds. Join them as they face challenges that span entire dimensions. For the true measure of a person can only be seen from how they react to hardship.
1. Spread your wings

Hi everyone! If you're reading this, that means you decided to give my story a look. I'll be honest, I've never really written anything like this before, nor had the idea to. But after reading other stories like this, I started thinking about my own version. After that, ideas just kept pouring in and I decided to try typing it out. Now this chapter is more of an introduction for my OC, we'll start seeing some of the main cast in the next one. That said, I hope you guys like what I came up with. My OC cards will be listed at the bottom of the chapter with their full stats and effects.

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V or any related titles. I only own my OCs and any and all OC cards I create for this story.

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

* * *

In a small town out in the country, known as Shizukawa, there lies a small school building surrounded by trees, with playsets all around. A large sign in front says "Shizukawa Elementary", and on a normal day, this building would be the perfect place for peaceful education.

*MRROOOooooww*

Today however, the majority of the children were gathered near tree and worried about the black and white cat looking about from one of the higher branches.

"Come down Hina!" "Please be okay!" "Someone help" Some of the teachers were already there, trying to find a way up, while the rest had gone to see if there was anyone in town who could help. It was tricky, seeing as how the tree Shiro was in just so happened to be the hardest one to climb out of all the trees at the school.

Seeing how everyone was paying attention to the tree that Shiro was in, no one seemed to notice the blue-haired kid who was climbing the tree next to it, which was considerably easier to climb. As the kid kept getting higher, he kept checking the tree next to him, before going up more. After he had climbed about 15ft and he believed himself to be in the right spot, he moved onto the thickest branch for what he was about to do, and took a few deep breathes…

Then jumped to the next tree.

Everyone, who at this point was just worrying about the cat, was immediately shocked at seeing one of the kids come flying into the tree and grabbing onto of the branches near the cat.

"TAKUMI!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

The boy didn't even acknowledge that he heard his teacher, and instead worked on pulling himself on top of the branch, and navigating to the one Hina was on. After a minute of maneuvering and everyone down below yelling at him to be careful, he made it to the one with Hina and was slowly getting closer to her and started talking to her gently.

"Hey Hina. It's okay, I've got you. Let's go down together, okay?" At this point, he was a foot away and had his hand held out to the cat, who seemed nervous at how high up they were. As Takumi kept up his smile and peaceful demeanor, it seemed to put the cat at ease somewhat, as it moved towards him enough for him to pick her up in both his arms.

He then looked around and positioned himself so that he was sitting on the branch with both legs on one side. "Okay then… Now this part. Ready Hina?" The cat just looked at him. "Okay, thought so. Here goes nothing." After one more deep breath, he slid off of the branch.

This action terrified the people below. "TAKUMIII!" But just as he started falling, they saw that his feet were landing on and kicking off of other branches that were below him, slowing his fall and letting him control where he went! When he got to the lowest branch, he kicked off away from the tree and landed in a roll. He stopped in a sitting position with Hina in his lap, himself completely silent.

He then looked at Hina, who was looking back at him. "You okay?" His answer was the cat rubbing her head against him while purring. "Haha, heyyy, your whiskers tickle, hahaha!"

"Takumi!" "Hm?" Takumi looked back at the audience he had drawn, seeing joy on the kids and relief on the adults, the kids already starting to crowd him. "You saved Hina!" "That was so cool!" "How'd you do that!?"

"Oh, I just climbed the tree next to it, then jumped. It's easier to climb." He said matter-of-factly.

Takumi's teacher then approached. "Takumi, you shouldn't have done that. You could have gotten yourself hurt. Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

Takumi just looked back at him. "Sorry Sensei, but Hina was in trouble."

"I understand that, but we had help coming. You should have waited."

"But what if something happened to Hina? I saw the tree next to it was easier to climb, and that the branches in between them were thick enough to hold me. I couldn't wait. Besides," Takumi then put on a mischievous grin "I love climbing trees!"

That got the rest of the kids to start laughing and his teacher to sigh in exasperation.

-Later-

Takumi was watching a show about Duel Monsters at the Shizukawa orphanage with some of the other kids. Takumi had been raised there his entire life, no one even knowing who left him there. There was a time when he wanted to find out who his parents were, but he decided already that he wouldn't worry about the past, and instead look to the future. He may not have parents like everyone else does, but Mrs. Hasegawa, the director of the orphanage, has been like a mother to him.

"Takumi! Could you come in here?"

"Coming!" Takumi then went into the kitchen, where Mrs. Hasegawa was sitting at the table. She wore a light blue dress, and had greying brown hair that reached below her shoulders. "What is it."

She looked at him with a knowing smile. "Oh, I just got word of something interesting that happened at school earlier. You wouldn't happen to know what I'm talking about, now would you?"

Takumi then paled a little. Mrs. Hasegawa is the one person that can make him feel nervous, and she knows it. The look on his face got her laughing.

"Hahaha. Oh don't look so scared. I know you're fine, but do you really need to rush off and do these kinds of things? Just last week when one of the kids got their ball stuck on the roof of the orphanage, you went and climbed the gutter to get it back!"

"Hehehe…" Takumi rubbed the back of his head at that. "I know, but if I can do something to help, why shouldn't I?"

Mrs. Hasegawa looked fondly at him and sighed. "I suppose you have a point there. But what am I to do if something happens while you're trying to help. That impossible dexterity you have could give he a heart attack. I worry you know."

Takumi looked down at that. "Sorry Mrs. Hasegawa…"

Mrs. Hasegawa reached for his chin and gently lifted his head up. "Now don't be like that. So long as you promise to be careful and not do anything too extreme, I'll forgive you. Deal?"

Takumi then gave a bright smile. "Deal!"

"Good. Now, I was going to wait a little longer, but I suppose it's time I gave you something." She then got up and moved to the cupboard, and pulled out a pair of boxes. "Here, open them."

Takumi started with the smaller one, and pulled out a pendant. I was a long, upside-down, silver tetrahedron, with the three tips on the *base* being red, yellow, and blue crystal, and the bottom tip being clear. From the three sides there appeared to be wings stretching out to reach above the base and meet at the tips, where the pendant was able to hang from the chain. "Wooowwwww."

Mrs. Hasegawa grinned at the look on his face. "I see you like it. Some months ago, there was a merchant who came through town selling jewelry and this caught my eye. When I asked about it, he told me that it was an item of good fortune." She started pointing out the different parts of the pendant. "The ruby tip symbolizes radiant hope, that spreads to all around you. The topaz tip symbolizes relentless courage, to protect all you hold dear. The sapphire tip is for an unwavering will, to rise above even the most difficult obstacles. The clear tip is the unknown future, with infinite potential. And the wings, to carry you to the dream you hold dear. Once he told me of this, I thought that it had to be made for you." She gently picked it up, and placed it around his neck. "I had meant to give this to you for your birthday next month, but I think you already deserve to where this."

Takumi was speechless. This was the most incredible thing he has ever received. He quickly gave Mrs. Hasegawa the biggest hug he could. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

"Hahaha! I'm glad you like it so much. Now, you have one more present to open."

Takumi let go and moved to the second box. When he opened it, his smile got even bigger (if that was possible). "Woah! These are Dual Monster cards! Awesome!" He quickly started going through the cards that were in there.

"The town may not have as much focus on these as the big cities do, but we still get cards. I thought it was about time I got you some. I'm pretty sure some of your classmates already have cards of their own."

"Yeah! I've been wanting to join them but I didn't want to ask you for the cards just because of that! Thanks so much!"

"I'm glad you're happy. I hope you don't mind, but I already setup a deck for you to try." As she said this she pointed to one of the stacks of cards

Takumi pulled it out and started looking through them. "The monsters… they're all birds."

"What better for a free-spirited boy than free-spirited monsters?" She said this with a grin.

"Haha! Thanks! I can't wait to try it out!"

* * *

-5 years later-

"Ice Beast Zerofyne! Attack directly!"

"Garrgh!"

1800-0

Winner: Takumi

Today, a tournament was being held in the town for everyone to enjoy, and Takumi had just made it into the Finals.

He now had short, sky blue windswept hair, and wore a white T-shirt with a silver bird design on the back, blue trousers that had a white stripe running along the sides, and a silver deck box on his hip. He wore grey shoes, a silver duel disk with a blue blade, and his pendant around his neck.

After he got his deck from Mrs. Hasegawa, he quickly took to the game. Even though he tried playing other types of decks, he always went back to using Winged Beasts as his preference. None of the other types he tried gave him the same feeling of freedom that this one did. In fact, it was thanks to these cards that he quickly became one of the better duelists in town. He even figured out Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz summoning with these cards and some help from some of the more experienced duelists.

Which was why he was participating in the tournament now. To see how far he'd come since then.

"And we're down to our last two competitors! Once again, Takumi has won with his flock of bird monsters! He will now take on Once-Pro duelist, Akihiro Shirokawa!"

Across from him now stood a tall man with greying black hair, wearing a white kimono with blue accents, a blue duel disk on his arm, and a smirk on his face. "Good to see you make it to this point Takumi. You've done well. Hope you can keep up with me!"

Takumi just smirked back. He knew all about how great a duelist he used to be before he retired, and was looking forward to the challenge. "Only one way to find out now, isn't there?"

"Right you are! Shall we get to it then!?" At this, he activated his disk, revealing a white blade.

"You bet!"

DUEL!

Takumi: 4000

Akihiro: 4000

"You take the first move kid. Show me what you got."

"Thanks. I'll start by playing Shield Wing in Defense Mode." The green bird then appeared on his field, wings held up defensively. "Next, I activate the effect of the **Spirit Wing** in my hand, and equip it to Shield Wing." Just then, a white version of Shield wing appeared, before turning into light and covering Shield Wing. "I end my turn with a face-down."

Akihiro looked on. "Hmm. Not much to start, but your defense isn't bad. Shield wing can avoid being destroyed in battle up to twice per turn. Still. If you think That's enough to stop me, your mistaken. I draw." He drew a card then pulled another from his hand. "I activate Summoner's Art! I can now add a level 5 or higher normal monster from my deck to my hand." He then pulls out a card from his deck and reveals it. "I choose Blue-eyes White Dragon!"

'It's already here!' Takumi had an excited look on his face at seeing that card.

"Now by revealing it, I can summon Blue-eyes Alternative Dragon to the field!" At that moment, his dragon appeared on the field and gave a mighty roar, blowing wind at all of the excited spectators. "Then, I activate Ancient Rules, which lets me summon my Blues-eyes White Dragon!" Takumi was just grinning stupidly at the two dragons that he now had to deal with.

"Your Shield Wing may be able to survive the attacks from my dragons, but how about this? I activate the effect of Blue-eyes Alternative Dragon! Once per turn, instead of attacking, it can destroy 1 monster on the field! Say goodbye to your Shield Wing!" His dragon then let out a roar, releasing a white beam of energy straight at Shield Wing, causing an explosion.

Akihiro smirked at Takumi, until the smoke cleared and Shield Wing was unharmed! "What?"

"Haha, sorry, but my bird is sticking around! Thanks to Spirit Wing, any monster equipped with him is unaffected by my opponent's card effects."

Akihiro blinked at that. "Hmmm. Not bad. It forces me to rely on attacking 3 times to get rid of your monster."

"4, actually."

"Huh?"

Takumi just kept smirking. "You see, Spirit Wing is a Union Monster, so if Shield Wing would be destroyed, I can destroy it instead."

"Haha! I see. Not bad. Well then, I guess I'll end with a pair of face-downs."

"Thanks! I draw." He took his card and looked at it. "I active Pot of Greed and draw 2 cards." As he saw his new cards, he smiled even more. "Yes! I summon Mist Valley Falcon!" Out came a tribal looking man with wings on their back, wielding a sword and shield, as well as 2000 ATK points!

"Hmm, not bad for a level 4 monster. But it's still not strong enough to take down my dragons."

"Maybe not yet, but what if I play this card? Riryoku! This spell halves the ATK of one monster you control and gives the difference to a monster I control. So I'll be taking half of Alternative's points now, if you please." As the spell appeared, dark energy flowed to Alternative Dragon, weakening it, before moving to Falcon.

3000 - 1500

2000 - 3500

"Next, I play **Merciless Hunter**! Until the End Phase, if a monster I control destroys a monster in battle, and you control a monster with the same type but less ATK point than the destroyed monster, I can attack again!"

Akihiro was impressed at this display. The kid had set things up so that his monster got a major power boost and a chance to clear his field of monsters, while dealing a major blow to his life points.

"Alright! Thanks to Mist Valley Falcon's effect, I have to return a card on my field to my hand in order to attack. I target Spirit Wing." As he took the card back into his hand, Falcon began to ready its sword. "Now go! Attack his Blue-eyes White Dragon!" Falcon went up to Blue-eyes and sliced clean through, destroying Blue-eyes.

4000 - 3500

"Now I return Shield Wing to my hand so Falcon can follow up and take down Blue-eyes Alternative Dragon!" Falcon then repeated its attack, this time at Alternative Dragon.

3500 - 1500

"…" Akihiro just stood there, unfazed by the attacks. "…Hmm…he…heheHAHAHA! That's the spirit! You may have what it takes after all!"

"Thanks! Now that I'm done attacking, I once again use the effect of my Spirit Wing, this time to equip him to Falcon!" Once again his bird appeared and turned into light, this time surrounding Falcon. "I end my turn."

"Very well. I draw! I activate Cards of Consonance and discard my White Stone of Legend to draw 2 cards. And since the White Stone of Legend was just sent to my graveyard, I can add another Blue-eyes to my hand." He looked at the 3 cards now sitting in his hand, then flashed a grin at Takumi. "Hope you're ready for this boy. I activate Double Summon. Now I can normal summon twice this turn. I summon Kaiser Seahorse! Then I immediately tribute it as 2 monsters to summon my 2nd Blue-eyes!"

His second dragon took its place and let out a roar. "Next, I activate the Birthright trap card. This lets me bring back the Blue-eyes in my Graveyard." His first dragon came back, just as fierce as before. "Next I activate my second face-down, Mystical Space Typhoon, and destroy your Spirit Wing!" A strong wind came out of the card and destroyed Spirit Wing, leaving Falcon vulnerable.

"Now the tables have turned. Blue-eyes White Dragon! Attack his Falcon with White Lightning!" His first dragon opened up its mouth and unleashed a powerful beam of energy that obliterated Falcon!

"Gaargh."

4000 - 3000

"Hehe. Hope you have something for this. Now my second dragon attacks you directly!" As his second dragon unleashed its own beam, it caused an explosion of smoke around Takumi, obscuring him from view. As the crowd waited with baited breath, the smoke cleared to reveal...

Shield Wing with its wings around him, and his life points untouched! "Yeah, I did have something for that. The card I set on my first turn, **Swooping In!** This card allows me to negate damage of any kind, and then summon a level 4 or lower Winged Beast in my hand!" Shield Wing then took position in front of him in Defense mode.

"Hahaha! Very good! I end my turn. I would love to see what you do next!"

"As you wish. I draw! I play **Scattered Feathers**. I now banish 1 winged beast from my grave, then draw a card from my deck for every 2 levels it possessed. I banish Falcon to draw 2 cards." He then looked at the 3 cards in his hand, and had a plan.

"Okay. I tribute Shield Wing to tribute summon Raiza the Storm Monarch!" As his regal monster appeared on the field, a great wind started up, centered around Raiza. "When tribute summoned, I can return 1 card on the field to the top of its owner's deck. I choose the Birthright trap card. With it gone, you lose one of your Blue-eyes cards!" The wind picked up even more, blowing away the trap and destroying Blue-eyes before it calmed down. "Next, I play **United Flock**! Now I can target 1 Winged Beast-type monster on the field, then summon another one from my hand with the same level, so long as it goes back during the End Phase. Raiza is level 6, so it's a good thing I have the level 6 **Grand Chieftain of the Trinity** in my hand!"

His newest monster appeared as a 6ft humanoid birdman with brown feathers and wings on their back, wearing brown tribal garb and a feather headdress, the feathers starting white, then being red, then yellow, and ending with blue at the ends. In its right talons it held a wooden staff with a loop at the top, possessing three triangular crystals (one ruby, one topaz, one sapphire) within it that touch the loop with 2 of their points and meet in the middle with the 3rd.

 **Grand Chieftain of the Trinity: Winged Beast-type/Earth/level6**

 **ATK: 2100 DEF: 2100**

"Hmm. Not very strong is it?" Akihiro observed the new monster, curious about what Takumi could be planning.

"Doesn't need to be." As Takumi said this, Chieftain spread his wings raised his staff as it glowed. "Once per turn, Chieftain can choose 1 Winged Beast-type in play. The target monster gains 300 ATK for every attribute that is present on the field. I pick Raiza." Energy from Chieftain's staff then flowed into Raiza. "Chieftain is Earth, Raiza is Wind, and Blue-eyes is Light, so Raiza gains 900 ATK!"

2400 - 3300

"What!? But with that…"

"Yup! Raiza, attack Blue-eyes!" Raiza leapt up and started punching Blue-eyes repeatedly, then delivering one last punch to its head, destroying it

"Gaarrgh"

1500 - 1200

"Now that there is 1 less attribute on the field, my monster gets a little weaker, but that hardly matters now doesn't it?"

3300 - 3000

"Alright Chief! You ready!?" Chieftain gave a war cry at that and hefted his staff like a weapon. "Just what I wanted to hear! How about you Akihiro?"

Akihiro just looked at Takumi's monster, surprise evident on his face. "… Heh… heheh… HAHAHAAA! Good! Very good! HAHAHAAA!" He then held his arms out invitingly. "Well boy? I have no cards on my field, no cards in my hand, and not enough life points to survive this next attack! So what are you waiting for!? You've earned this!"

Takumi put a massive grin on his face at that. "YES SIR! Grand Chieftain! Attack directly! Universal Force!" Chieftain raised his staff overhead, causing the crystals on it to glow and gather energy, which he then threw at Akihiro, who still had arms held out.

1200 - 0

Winner: Takumi

As the monsters faded away, Akihiro walked over to Takumi with a grin. "Nice work kid. You'll go far." He then held out a hand to him, which Takumi quickly reached for.

"Thanks. It was a lot of fun to be able to duel you."

"Likewise." With that, he walked away with a smile, as the Townsfolk began to surround Takumi.

-later that night-

Takumi was lying in bed, looking at the photo taken of his achievement of winning the tournament. He managed to rope in Mrs. Hasegawa into being in the picture with him. The both of them were smiling like the fools they are.

So why did he feel off?

He just beat the best duelist in town. He should be feeling on top of the world. Not this… this… restlessness? He had no idea what to do now.

"Takumi?" The sound of his name drew his attention to the door, where Mrs. Hasegawa was standing.

"Oh. Hey." 'I don't sound off do I?'

"Takumi… What's on your mind." She walked into the room and sat next to him on the bed. 'Guess I did.'

He sat up and tried to think of what to say. "I'm, not really sure. I just beat the most experienced duelist in town. I should be on top of the world right now. So, why does it feel like I'm missing something?"

But she just put on a knowing smile. "I think I might." Takumi looked at her, eyes pleading for an answer. "You want more."

"Huh?"

"Takumi… You just became to best in the village. No one here can give you a challenge anymore. And that is what's missing. The challenge necessary for you to grow and evolve. There is nothing left here to help you do that."

Takumi looked down in thought. "… So, what now?"

"The way I see it you have 2 options before you." She held up 1 finger. "Option number 1; You look for something else to do around town. Though those options are rare and few."

"And the second option?"

She reached an arm around his back to rest her arm on his other shoulder, and spoke softly. "Or option 2; Do what your monsters do better than any other living creature does. Leave the nest, spread your wings, and soar across the world. Go out there, and find people who can give you a challenge."

Takumi was speechless. He never really gave much thought to leaving the orphanage, to leaving Mrs. Hasegawa, and now here she was, telling him that if he needed to... wanted to... he could leave. He had no idea how to respond.

Mrs. Hasegawa seemed to notice his dilemma and moved to hug him. "Oh now, it's alright. You don't need to decide anything now. And even if you did leave, you should know that you will always have a place here."

Takumi just hugged her, not knowing what else to do. All he'd ever known was the town, the orphanage, Mrs. Hasegawa. To just leave it all behind…

"How about I let you sleep on it. Okay? We can talk about it whenever you're ready." She then kissed him on the forehead and spoke softly. "It's getting late now. Goodnight my boy." As Mrs. Hasegawa Left the room, Takumi lay down to try and start sleeping.

But his mind wouldn't let him. He kept going back to her words. Stay and feel restless, or leave behind everything he's ever known? He didn't know what to do.

He then sat up, and using the moonlight through the window to see, reached for the pendant she gave him all those years ago, sitting on his beside nightstand. 'Radiant hope that spreads to all, relentless courage to never waver, unwavering will to rise above, infinite possibilities for the future, and wings to carry me to my dream.' Takumi frowned at the last one. 'What is my dream? What do I want?' With that, he placed the pendant back on the nightstand and went to sleep.

That night, he dreamed of flying through the skies, free from everything. And when he looked below, he saw a world at peace, where everyone was happy. Where everyone had the hope, strength, and determination, to create a world where everyone could smile.

And while he dreamed, he never once noticed the glow that came from his pendant, nor from some of the cards in his deck…

* * *

-a few days later-

Takumi was at the main road out of town, bag in hand, saying goodbye to everyone. His dream had helped him decide that it was time he left, in order to see what life is like outside of town, and to spread happiness to everyone he met.

"Really, you don't ALL need to be here. I was expecting a few people, not half the town!?" While it was certainly an exaggeration, it sure seemed like it, since his friends, classmates, teacher, and even people from the same street as the orphanage had come to see him off!

"Hey! You're the best duelist in town now!" "No one has beaten Akihiro since he retired here." "And what kind of sensei would I be if I didn't see off one of my students as they start a new chapter in their life?" Everyone just kept praising him and wishing him luck.

"You guys…" He had on maybe one of the saddest smiles he could remember right now. Mrs. Hasegawa immediately noticed it and moved to hug him.

"Now, now, no crying. This isn't goodbye. After all, I fully expect you to call regularly." This got a genuine laugh from him. "Good. Now, I set up an account with some money in it. It should help you get what you need when you need it. Other than that you have 2 jobs to do." She let go and held up a finger. "Job number 1; Take care of yourself. Don't you get hurt doing something stupid." She held up a second finger. "Job number 2;" She grabbed his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Be the best that you can be."

Takumi grinned at her. "Yes ma'am." This time, he pulled her into a hug. When they let go, he grabbed his bag and looked at everyone. "Well everyone, see you all when I get back!" And with that, he started walking.

"Bye!" "Good luck!" "Stay safe!"

As they were all calling for him to be well, he waved back at them, until he could barely see them. "Alright then. Now, where to go and how do I get there?"

"You never even thought that far ahead? How short is your attention span?"

"WOAH!" The sudden voice caught him off guard, and when Takumi looked, he saw Akihiro leaning on a nearby tree and blinked at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Apparently looking at someone who has no idea what they plan on doing unless it's in dueling."

"Eh-heheheh." Takumi couldn't find an argument. Suddenly, a small box was tossed to him which he was quickly able to catch. "What?"

"Open it." Takumi looked at Akihiro, then back at the box before opening it. Inside, was a small stack of blank cards.

"These are… Blank?"

"For now." Takumi looked at him in confusion. "Those cards are special. They may be blank now, but if used by a duelist, they can become exactly the card they need. So long as you prove yourself to them first." Akihiro walked up to him. "I've been holding on to these ones for a while. The few I've used in the past have done me a great deal of service. And I know that these will do the same for you."

Takumi looked back at the cards in amazement. While looking at them, he could have sworn he saw something moving within the white…

"Maiami." "Huh?"

Takumi just looked at him confused once again. "This road eventually leads into Maiami City, one of the top places in the world to hone one's dueling skills. The schools out there go so far as to teach different styles of dueling. If you plan on leaving your mark on the world, go there. It'll help you find what you're looking for." With that, he got off of the tree and started walking back towards town. But he stopped after a few feet, with his back to Takumi. "Try not to lose too easily. You've beaten me now, so make sure they fight tooth and nail to win." Then he started walking again.

Takumi was speechless for a moment, before he put on a massive grin. "YES SIR!" And with that, he put the blank cards back in the box, put the box in his bag, and took off down the road, never catching the smile on Akihiro's face.

* * *

And end! So what do you guys think of my first chapter? Also, quick shout out to HunterHQ for reading the first edition of this chapter and critiquing most of the cards I came up with, as well as offering ideas for more. If you guys like these kinds of stories, then check out his story, "The dimension dragon Lords". Now if this story gets a good response, then I plan to upload more chapters as I type them. That said, I can't promise regular updates. I am open to criticism and ideas on how to improve my writing if you guys think I need it.

As for my cards, I chose to use Winged Beasts because I noticed that they were one of the few types to not get a lot of attention outside of specific Archetypes, with very few cards acting for the type in general. This is the result.

Now that that's over, here are the cards I revealed in the chapter, and thanks again for giving this a shot!

 **OC cards**

 **Merciless Hunter: Spell/normal**

 **During the turn this card is activated, when a monster you control destroys a monster in battle; If your opponent controls a monster with the same type but less ATK than the destroyed monster, your monster can make another attack this turn. Only one monster you control may attack during the turn you play this card.**

 **Swooping in: Spell/quick-play**

 **If you would take damage; Special summon a Winged Beast-type monster from your hand or face-up in your Extra deck and negate the damage. The summoned monster cannot be destroyed in battle or affected by card effects until the End Phase.**

 **Scattered Feathers: Spell/normal**

 **Activate this card by banishing 1 Winged Beast-type monster in your graveyard. For every 2 levels possessed by the banished card, you may draw 1 card.**

 **United Flock: Spell/normal**

 **Target 1 Winged Beast-type monster you control; Special summon 1 Winged Beast-type monster from your hand with the same level as the target monster. During the End Phase, the summoned monster is returned to the hand.**

 **Spirit Wing: Winged Beast-type/Light/Union/level2**

 **ATK: 500 DEF: 500**

 **Once per turn, you can equip this card in your hand or on your field to a Winged Beast-Type monster you control, OR unequip it to Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position. A monster equipped with this card by this effect is unaffected by card effects controlled by your opponent. (A monster may only be equipped with 1 Union monster at a time. If the equipped monster would be destroyed, destroy this card instead.)**

 **Grand Chieftain of the Trinity: Winged Beast-type/Earth/level6**

 **ATK: 2100 DEF: 2100**

 **Once per turn, you can target 1 Winged Beast-type monster on the field; until your next Standby Phase, the target monster gains 300 ATK and DEF for each attribute on the field. Once per turn, you can change the level of 1 Winged Beast-type on the field to any level from 1 to 6.**


	2. A chance meeting

Alright. Only one review and one PM but nothing bad so far. I'm going to take it as a sign that I'm doing something right. Also, to the reviewer, it's as if you read my mind! Takumi will display that kind of behavior later on. So, here is chapter 2.

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

" _Summoning chant/whispering"_

 **OC card first appearance**

I own nothing but my OC character and cards.

* * *

Maiami City. A magnificent city where dueling has risen to greater heights than ever before, thanks to the development of Solid Vision technology and the numerous Duel Schools scattered about, most notably LDS (Leo Duel School), based in a skyscraper that could be seen from any point in the city.

Though one person couldn't care less at the moment, since they were taking a nap underneath one of the trees in the park.

It has been a few weeks since he left home, but in that time he came across quite a few duelists that could help him polish up in his skills. Among those he went up against, there were a few that he had to work to beat, and those ones were the most fun for him.

Over those weeks, he had decided to put a few of the blank cards in his extra deck, and leave the rest out. If you had asked him why he did that, he wouldn't be able to tell you anything other than "It seemed right." None of them have changed since then, but a few times before bed he thought he heard something from them. But when he went to look, still nothing.

Anyway. He had gotten into Maiami a few hours ago and was amazed at how big it was. Shizukawa was nothing compared to this place. While he was wondering around, he noticed a park and thought it looked like a nice place to take a nap, so he did.

He soon stirred and sat up, stretching his arms and giving a loud yawn, and finally opening his eyes.

*yawns* "Man, that was a nice nap. Alright! I'm finally in Maiami, now to see what else there is!" He got up, grabbed his bag and started to wander through the City. But before he got far, he saw a group of delinquent looking kids going in the direction of some elementary schoolers who were on the nearby playset. One was a redheaded girl, another a blue headed boy, and the last a slightly hefty boy with brownish-greenish hair. An older, pink haired girl on a nearby bench noticed the approaching group and quickly got up and called the kids over.

"Ayu! Tatsuya! Futoshi! Come here quickly!" The kids stopped playing, looked at her, then where she was looking, and then quickly ran behind her as the delinquents came closer. "What do you want, Gen?"

The biggest of the bunch smirked. "Nothing much, just a duel with Yuya, so I can get my revenge for what he did to Strong Ishijima! And you four are gonna help." As he said this, his pals started to surround the girl and kids. "Once we have you, he'll have no choice but to listen, now won't he? Hehehe..."

The pinkette looked angrily at Gen and the delinquents, while the three kids just looked around scared, with the roundish one saying something about "shivers(?)". Meanwhile, none of them seemed to even notice the blue haired boy about 20ft away, who didn't seem to like where things were going. So, he did the thing that he felt was the most logical thing to do in this situation.

He walked up behind "Gen", a guy twice his size, and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey."

The unexpected comment caught everyone off guard and they just stared at him for a moment.

"Didn't mean to eavesdrop, but aren't there easier ways to ask someone for a duel than taking hostages?"

Gen just felt annoyed at this kid, trying to tell him what to do. He looked at him angrily, "Stay out of this!" and went to push him away.

Only for Takumi to move to the side, grab his wrist, and next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground a few feet away from where he started. "Huh?"

Everyone else was just staring at the kid who threw Gen in shock, all thinking something along the lines of "What just happened?"

The bluette just straitened up. "Well that was rude of you. You were about to shove a guy you just met. Didn't you learn about manners?"

That seemed to get Gen even angrier, and he was on his feet in an instant, the look on his face made the kids scared, the girl uneasy, and the rest of the delinquents smirking.

The still unnamed kid just looked at him, not at all affected by the anger directed at him, annoying Gen even further.

"THAT'S IT! None of this concerns you so unless you want to get crushed in a duel you better just-"

"A DUEL!?"

The sudden outburst from the kid surprised everyone once again, but this time they also saw wide eyes and an excited smile on his face. He quickly put his bag down and started rummaging through it. Takumi was about to have his first duel in Maiami!

"Alright! Just gimme a sec here!" He quickly pulled out a silver duel disk and put it on, then opened the deck box on his hip and pulled out the deck inside, setting in into the disk where it automatically shuffled.

"Okay! All set!" He looked at Gen and noticed how he hadn't moved since he started getting ready. "Huh?" He then looked around and saw everyone else was in a similar state. "What? Is there something on my face?" He then started looking at his reflection in his duel disk. The pinkette just looked nervously at him.

"What are you-"

"STOP MESSING AROUND!"

At the sudden interruption from Gen, the kids started to cower and everyone else looked nervously at Gen, who was practically fuming. Whereas Takumi just looked at him and blinked. "Hmm? I'm not messing around. I wanna duel."

Gen had had it there. "FINE THEN! LET'S DUEL! I'll make you pay for interfering." He then started up his own duel disk as Takumi started up his with a grin.

"Hey! What are you-"

"Relax, relax." Takumi interrupted her this time. "I can't just pass up a duel now can I?" He said to her grinning like a fool.

'He probably is one' she thought.

Immediately, he had a thought. "Oh hey, I never introduced myself didn't I?" He held out a hand. "Name's Takumi." She just looked at the hand offered and then back at the grinning face.

She took the hand and shook it. "Yuzu." Then she pointed out the three kids, going from red, to blue, to green. "This is Ayu," "HI!" "-Tatsuya," "Hello" "-and Futoshi." "Hey! That flip from before gave me the Shivers!"

"Haha! Thanks." 'I think.' Takumi was laughing with them, momentarily oblivious to the delinquents around them, and the nearly ballistic Gen behind him that he was supposed to be dueling by now.

"HEY! YOU AND I ARE ABOUT TO DUEL HERE! QUIT STALLING!"

"Hmm? OH! Right, sorry about that. Let's go!" Takumi said, getting back into position.

"Alright, prepare to pay!" Gen shouted.

"Dude, relax, it's just a game." Takumi said.

"Be careful." Yuzu warned.

"Got it!"

DUEL!

Gen: 4000

Takumi: 4000

"I'll go first!" yelled Gen. "I summon Granite Battleguard in Attack Mode!" A bluish ogre-like monster appeared on his field with 1000 ATK points.

"Scary…" Ayu muttered nervously.

"Next, I use its special ability to summon Boulder Battleguard from my hand!" As he said this a shorter orange ogre appeared next to Granite with 1200 ATK points.

"Now he has 2 monsters out!" gasped Yuzu. "This isn't looking good so far…" Tatsuya said. "Shivers!" Futoshi mumbled, confusing Takumi on whether 'shivers' was a good or bad thing.

"I end my turn with a face-down. Alright, let's see what you got!" He said as a face-down card appeared in front of him.

Takumi whistled. "Not bad. My turn." He drew his card while Gen was smirking.

'Heh, this runt is in for a world of hurt. Not only does my Boulder Battleguard let me negate an attack aimed at my Battleguards, but my face-down Battleguard Howling can return his monster to the hand if he gets in another attack. He doesn't stand a chance.'

Takumi just looked through his cards and liked what he saw. "Nice! Sorry, but it looks like the Duel's over."

Gen just looked confused. "Huh?"

This time, Takumi was the one smirking. "I really would like for this duel to last a little longer, but I don't really like the way you were treating these guys. So, I'm gonna go ahead and end it, kay?" He took the card he drew and played it. "I activate the spell card, **Feather Fusion**!"

Everyone there was immediately shocked. "Fusion!?"

Takumi didn't even slow down. "With it, I can summon a Winged Beast-type Fusion monster using monsters on my field or in my hand. I fuse Mist Valley Falcon, Shield Wing,and **Necro Wing** from my hand." Mist Valley Falcon appeared with Shield Wing and a bird similar to Shield Wing, except it was black. They then flew up and joined into a swirling vortex.

" _Predator of the Hidden Valley, join with the winged protectors of sky and shadow. Let your powers combine, and unleash the Wings of Unity! Fusion Summon! Appear, level 6!_ _ **Mythic Wing Unum**_ _!"_

Coming from the Vortex with a call appeared a monster that took its place behind him, looking again like Shield Wing, except it was twice the size, silver in color, and wing feathers that seemed to shine in every color in the Rainbow.

 **Mythic Wing Unum: Fusion/Winged Beast-type/Light/level6**

 **ATK: 1200 DEF: 1200**

"It's so pretty!" Ayu cried out, saying what the others were thinking first.

Gen just laughed at it. "HAHAHA! That's what you plan on finishing me with!? HAHA! It can barely beat my Granite Battleguard!"

Takumi just kept smiling. "Then maybe I should finish explaining the effect of my Fusion card."

Gen stopped dead at that. "Huh?"

"A monster summoned with Feather Fusion gains 200 ATK points for every Winged Beast-type used in the summon, so Unum gains 600."

1200 - 1800

"Then his own effect kicks in! When Fusion summoned, I can do 2 things. First, he gains 200 more ATK and DEF points for each of his Fusion materials!"

As he said this, Unum's 2 wings suddenly multiplied into 6!

1800 - 2400

Gen started to look a little uneasy. 'Okay, stronger than I thought, but that still isn't enough to beat me.'

"Now his 2nd effect! I can summon Winged Beast-type monsters from the graveyard whose combined levels equal 4!"

"WHAT!?" Gen was not liking where this was going.

Takumi however was just smiling away. "I summon Necro Wing and Shield Wing from the graveyard!" As he said this, a vortex appeared beneath Unum, and his monsters came flying out from underneath.

 **Necro Wing** : **Winged Beast-type/Dark/tuner/level2**

 **ATK: 800 DEF: 800**

Tatsuya looked confused at this. "Wait, why would he summon 2 level 2s, when he has a monster in the grave with more ATK than the 2 of them combined?"

"Glad you asked." Takumi said looking at him. "You see, Necro Wing has a fun effect of his own. When he is summoned to the field, I can summon 1 level 4 or lower Winged Beast-type monster in the Graveyard. You see where I'm going with this?" He ended that with a smirk aimed at Tatsuya.

Who immediately knew what was about to happen, if his widened eyes were anything to go by. "So that means…"

"Yup! I use Necro Wing's effect to resurrect my Mist Valley Falcon!" Necro Wing gave out a shriek, as purple energy flowed off of it, seeping into the ground, only for Mist Valley Falcon to burst free!

The delinquents started to get nervous, as Takumi suddenly had 4 monsters on his field, while Gen was starting to sweat, now that he was staring at 2 monsters with at least 2000 ATK in front of him. 'Okay, maybe I underestimated this kid a little. But he still doesn't stand a chance!'

"You can relax a little ya know."

"Huh?"

Gen just stared dumbly at Takumi. "After all, I can't attack with a monster summoned by Necro Wing's effect."

Gen was just confused now. "Then why summon it like that at all?"

Takumi was still just smiling. "Because, the more the merrier. After all, everything becomes more fun when you got more friends beside you. Right? Hahaha!" He just stood there laughing like he was having the time of his life, while everyone around him had no idea how to respond. Well, minus 3.

"Hahaha!" The kids just started laughing with him.

And Gen was back to annoyed. "Would you quit laughing!? You're getting on my nerves!" That quickly shut the kids up, sending them back behind Yuzu, but Takumi still took some time, still unconcerned about Gen's anger.

"Hahaha, sorry, sorry, but I just can't help laughing when I'm having fun. Right pals?" he said looking at his monsters, Falcon looking at him chuckling, and the rest crying in approval.

"Is he talking to his monsters?" "What's up with this kid?" The delinquents around them had no idea how to react to this kid, while Yuzu just watched, amazed at how calm Takumi is, despite being surrounded by enemies.

"Now then, I guess we should keep this going. So, where was I… Ah, right. I use my level 2 Shield Wing and Necro Wing to build the Overlay Network!" As he said this his 2 birds became orbs of light that quickly disappeared into a galaxy-like vortex in front of him.

"Xyz too!?" Yuzu was shocked to see someone using 2 different summoning techniques appearing right in front of her, while the kids were staring in awe and the delinquents were looking scared.

" _Slip through the cracks in reality, reveal the truth to the ignorant, and unfold thy star-filled wings! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 2!_ _ **Mythic Wing Locus!**_ _"_

Out from the portal with a shriek came another bird the same size, color, and shape as Unum, except its wings seem to take the appearance of the night sky filled with stars, and had 2 yellow overlay units orbiting it. As it landed next to Unum, Gen started to look worried again.

 **Mythic Wing Locus: Xyz/Winged Beast-type/Light/rank2**

 **ATK: 1200 DEF: 1200**

"Wow!" The kids started to look amazed at the second silver bird, impressed with its appearance. Even Yuzu was starting to be taken aback at the appearance of these monsters.

"Mythic Wing Locus gains 300 DEF points for each overlay unit."

1200 - 1800

Gen started to calm down seeing that it was in Defense Mode. "That's not enough to beat me!"

"Well yeah, Locus couldn't attack if he wanted to. Which is what makes his effect so important." As Takumi said this, Locus started to tiny stars from his wings, which then started to fly around Boulder Battleguard, who tried to swat them away with his free hand. "Once per turn, Locus can turn one special summoned monster on the field into an overlay unit!" As the stars started flying back to Locus, Boulder got pulled along with them. Halfway across, it turned into an overlay unit and start orbiting Locus.

1800 - 2100

"WHAT!? GIMME BACK MY MONSTER!" Gen was getting angry again at this latest development. 'Who is this kid!?'

"Dude, what have I said about relaxing?" Takumi was STILL unconcerned about his opponent's temper, not seeing exactly what his problem was. "Now, I play Locus' second effect. Once per turn, I can special summon one of his overlay units to my field. So come back once again, Necro Wing!" As he said this, one of Locus' overlay units flew just in front of Takumi, and exploded into Necro Wing.

2100 - 1800

Yuzu watched on with interest. "Now what is he up to?"

"Wanna hint?" Takumi said, smirking at Yuzu. "Necro Wing has one more quality that makes it special. Who here thinks they can guess what that is? Anyone?" Takumi was just having fun, looking around for anyone to say the answer he was looking for.

Meanwhile, Yuzu and the kids were trying to figure out what he was talking about. "What does he mean by 'special quality'?" Ayu was just confused, while Futoshi was struggling to come up with something. Tatsuya however, was looking at his monsters in thought. "2 Mythic Wing monsters, 1 Fusion, 1 Xyz…! No way!" Tatsuya was now looking more shocked than he has before, drawing the attention of everyone and getting a massive grin from Takumi.

"Looks like someone might have it! Then let's see if your right! I tune my level 4 Mist Valley Falcon with level 2 tuner monster, Necro Wing!" His two monsters then flew up, with Necro Wing turning into 2 rings for Falcon to fly through, who then turned into 4 stars, and finally into a pillar of light.

"EVEN SYNCHRO!?" Now everyone was shocked, with Gen starting to sweat bullets at how his opponent was able to use 3 summoning methods in a single turn!

" _Unbound to the past, present, or future, emerge from the river of time, and spread the wings that reach everywhere and when! Synchro Summon! Appear, level 6!_ _ **Mythic Wing Tempus**_ _!"_

Emerging from light with a cry, appeared yet another silver bird, with golden transparent wings, taking position on the other side of Unum. As it landed, all three birds gave out a call, light shining from their wings, leaving everyone awestruck at their combined beauty.

 **Mythic Wing Tempus: Synchro/Winged Beast-type/Light/level6**

 **ATK: 1200 DEF: 1200**

Gen, despite staring down a Fusion, Xyz, and Synchro monster, is managing to keep calm since Takumi still doesn't have enough ATK points to take him down, despite himself being down to a monster with 1000 ATK points. "That may be impressive, but it's not enough to win."

Takumi is still just grinning like an idiot. "Wanna bet? Battle! Mythic Wing Unum, attack Granite Battleguard! Spiral Wing Strike!" As he ordered his Fusion monster to attack, Unum flew up high, and began to spiral in a dive towards Gen's monster, wings curving to give the resemblance of a drill.

"I activate my trap! Battleguard Howling!" Gen shouted, revealing his trap. "With this, I can return your fusion monster to your deck, and deal damage to you equal to its ATK!"

"You sure about that?" "Huh?" Gen just looked confused, until he looked at his trap and saw it was being covered in light, and a look back showed the light was coming from Locus' wings! "What's going on!?"

"Simple. If Locus has more overlay units than you have monsters on the field, you can't target any Winged Beast-type monsters with a card effect." Takumi said smiling.

"WHAT!?" While Gen was freaking out, his trap was nullified and set back down, allowing Unum to finish its attack at Granite, causing it to explode. "GAAARRGH!"

Gen: 4000 - 2600

"… Still not enough… Even if you attack with that Synchro, I'm not beat yet!" Gen stood his ground, determined to make Takumi pay.

"At this point, Tempus' effect activates!" "Huh?" Everyone looked towards the synchro monster, as its wings started to shine.

"When my opponent takes damage because of a Winged Beast-type card, its ATK and DEF increase by half the damage!"

1200 - 1900

Gen looks nervously at the synchro monster, "S-so what? It still can't beat me!"

Takumi was still doing what Yuzu is calling his 'Fool' impression. "Well yeah, I don't didn't plan on it beating you. I now activate his second effect!" Now the entirety of Tempus was glowing golden, with the light starting to drift to Unum. "Once per turn, during my Battle Phase, if Tempus's ATK is different from its original ATK, I can target one Winged Beast-type I control that has already attacked this turn. I target Unum!" At this point, Tempus has stopped glowing, and now its Unum who was glowing golden. "Now, Tempus' ATK and DEF return to normal, Unum gains the lost ATK, and Unum can attack once again!"

1900 - 1200

2400 - 3100

"Waaah, so pretty!" Ayu was completely enraptured at Unum's latest appearance, with Tatsuya smiling at it and Futoshi shouting "Shivers!", all while Yuzu was at a loss of words for what was about to happen.

Meanwhile, the last of the color had faded from Gen's face and he was once again sweating bullets while his goons were starting to back away from the others. "But... b-but that means!"

Takumi, smiling all the while, looked back at Gen. "Yup. Sorry it was so short, but I couldn't pass up the chance to use this combo on my first turn! You understand, right?" He said all this without even realizing why Gen was slowly starting to back up and away from him. "Now then, here we go! Mythic Wing Unum! Attack with Spiral Wing Strike!" Unum then once again flew up, took aim at Gen, and dived at him like a drill.

"GAAAAARRRGH!"

Gen: 2600 - 0

Winner: Takumi

As the monsters faded from view, everyone present looked at the downed Gen, all while Takumi was putting his cards back into the deck, and started shuffling it. He then looked around at the gathered crowd around him. "Alright. Who wants to go next!"

The delinquents all paled, grabbed Gen, and ran out of there as fast as they could, with Gen shouting "THIS ISN'T OVEEEERRRR!" all the while.

For the first time since the start of the duel, the smile dropped off of Takumi's face. "Huh? Where are they going? Aww… I still want to duel some more."

"AWESOME!" "Woah!" Almost immediately, he was tackled by the three kids and they all fell to the ground, Takumi at the bottom of a dogpile.

"That was incredible! I haven't seen someone using all three methods since Reiji came to You Show!"

"That duel gave me some of the best shivers I've ever felt!"

"Taku-nii, those monsters were so pretty!"

Meanwhile, during all the praise, Takumi was silent and still beneath the three kids laying on top of him.

"Hey, you guys, get off him! You're being rude." Yuzu then started getting the kids off of Takumi who for some reason still wasn't moving. "Uh, Takumi? Are you okay?" He then got up and went down to eye level with Ayu, who was surprised at this.

"…Did you just call me, 'Taku-nii'?"

Ayu suddenly got nervous at this. "Is… i-is that bad?"

Next thing she or any of the others knew, she was up on his shoulders, with him once again grinning like a fool! "ARE YOU KIDDING!? IT'S AWESOME! HAHAHA!" He then started running around, laughing all the while with Ayu quickly joining him, which soon got the others laughing.

Yuzu was the first to calm down and got everyone's attention. "Haha, okay, okay enough. Takumi, right?" At this, Takumi stopped running around and turned to look at her, quickly saluting her, with Ayu still on his shoulders and quickly mimicking him when she saw what he was doing.

"Yes ma'am! Takumi Shou reporting!" That was what once again got the kids laughing.

"Pfft." Yuzu just shook her head after stopping herself from laughing. "Anyway, thanks for helping us back there. I'm not entirely sure what we would have done if you hadn't shown up."

Takumi blinked at her for a moment, then looked up in thought. "Oh yeah, they were being rude earlier weren't they?" That got everyone to just stare at him surprised. When he noticed, he just looked at them. "Hm? What? Something on my face again?" and he was once again looking at his reflection in his duel disk.

Yuzu just stared at him. "Did you… completely forget what they were doing before the duel?"

Takumi looked back at her. "Hmm? Oh. Yeah, kinda."

"WHAAAAT!?" everyone shouted at him surprised, causing him to wince a little.

Takumi then reached a pinky to his ear and started to pick at it. "I guess I can understand the surprise, but you are literally right next to my ear Ayu so could you please not shout like that?"

"Oh, sorry."

"Nevermind that!" Yuzu was still incredulous. "How do you just forget something like that!"

Takumi just shrugged his shoulders, careful about Ayu's position. "Just do I guess. To be fair I've been told I have a short attention span. Unless it comes to dueling, then you have a hard time getting me to think of anything besides dueling." By the time he was done, he was smiling again.

Yuzu just looked at him dumbfounded, unable to think of anything to say.

"Hey, Taku-nii, where did you come from?" Ayu asked from her seat on his shoulders.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm from out of town. Just got to Maiami today. Why?"

"Are you going to a duel school?"

"Not yet. Don't even know what schools there are. Why?"

"Hey, Yuzu-nee! Let's bring Taku-nii back!"

At that, Tatsuya and Futoshi started getting excited. "Yeah! You gotta come back to You Show with us! It'll be awesome!" "Just thinking about you joining up is giving me the shivers!"

Takumi just looked at them. "Bring me back? You Show? What?"

This time, Yuzu took the lead. "You Show Duel School, where we specialize in Entertainment Duels. We use our duels to put on shows for both the audience, and our opponents, so everyone can walk away with a smile on their face. And after seeing how you duel, I have to admit it seems like you would fit right in."

Hearing all this got Takumi excited. "Woah! That sounds amazing! I gotta see this!"

This got Yuzu laughing again. "Haha, okay, okay. It is about time we started heading back anyway."

"Awesome! I can't wait! In faaact…" He started whispering to Ayu. _"Hey, think you can show me the way there?"_ This put a mischievous grin on her face and she quickly nodded, confusing the others. "Awesome! So, guys… Seeyathere!" Before he was even finished talking, he had turned around and started running out of the park, grabbing his bag on the way, all the while with Ayu still on his shoulders pointing which way to go!

"Whaa-!?" The sudden escape of Takumi and Ayu had them surprised for a second, before Yuzu was able to realize what was happening. "HEY! AYU! TAKUMI! GET BACK HERE!" Shouting, she started chasing after the two, with Tatsuya and Futoshi hot on her tail.

Meanwhile, Takumi and Ayu were laughing all the while, leading the group back to You Show Duel School.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's two. Now, I know that the whole 'rescue from Gen' situation has been used before by other authors, but I honestly couldn't decide how else I wanted to introduce my character to the main cast. Also, I'm pretty sure that Gen was mean enough in the show to warrant losing on the second turn of the duel. Of all the jerks who had a name in the show, Gen was one of the ones I hated most.

Anyway, I have the next few chapters planned out somewhat, but I am open to ideas on what some people might want to see in the future. Opposing decks, new card concepts, OC characters, etc. I won't promise anything, but I'll keep an open mind.

So, be sure to let me know what you think, and any questions you have, whether it's by review or PM. Until next time, Happy New Years!

 **OC cards**

 **Feather Fusion** : Spell/normal

This card can be used to Fusion Summon a Winged Beast-Type Fusion monster in your Extra Deck, by sending Fusion Materials listed on it from your hand or field to the graveyard. During the turn it is summoned, it gains 200 ATK for each Winged Beast-type material used.

 **Necro Wing** : Winged Beast-type/Dark/tuner/level2

ATK: 800 DEF: 800

Once per turn, when this card or another Winged Beast-type monster is summoned, you can special summon 1 level 4 or lower Winged Beast-type monster from your graveyard. A monster summoned by this effect cannot attack this turn. Once per duel, during either player's turn (except the turn this card is sent to the graveyard), you can banish 1 Winged Beast-type monster from your Graveyard; Special Summon this card from the Graveyard.

 **Mythic Wing Unum** : Fusion/Winged Beast-type/Light/level6

ATK: 1200 DEF: 1200

1 level 2 Winged Beast-type monster + 1 or more Winged Beast-type monsters

This card gains 200 ATK and DEF for each Fusion material used in this card's Fusion summon. When this card is summoned, you can target a number of Winged beast-type monsters in your Graveyard whose total levels are equal to or less than 4; special summon those targets. If your opponent selects a Winged Beast-type monster on the field as an attack target while they control at least as many monsters as you do, you can increase the ATK and DEF of that monster by the ATK and DEF of 1 other Winged Beast-type monster on the field during the Damage step only.

 **Mythic Wing Tempus** : Synchro/Winged Beast-type/Light/level6

ATK: 1200 DEF: 1200

1 level 2 Winged Beast-type tuner + 1 or more Winged Beast-type monsters

While you control at least 1 other Winged Beast-type monster, your opponent cannot select this card for an attack target, and is unaffected by their card effects. If your opponent takes damage because of a Winged Beast-type card, increase the ATK and DEF of this card by half the damage dealt. Once per turn, during your Battle Phase, if this card's ATK or DEF are different than its original ATK or DEF, you can target one Winged Beast-type monster you control that has already attacked this turn; The target monster gains ATK equal to the difference between this cards current ATK and its original ATK, can attack once again this turn, and this card's ATK and DEF become equal to its original ATK and DEF and cannot change until after the Battle Phase. Also, if the targeted monster attacks this turn, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until after the damage step. This card cannot declare an attack the turn you use this effect.

 **Mythic Wing Locus** : Xyz/Winged Beast-type/Light/rank2

ATK: 1200 DEF: 1200

2 or more level 2 Winged Beast-type monsters

This card gains 300 DEF for each xyz material attached to it. This card cannot attack. If your opponent controls less monsters than this card has attached xyz materials, they cannot declare an attack against this card and they cannot target a Winged Beast-type monster you control with a card effect. Once per turn, you can target 1 special summoned monster on the field; attach it to this card as xyz material. Once per turn, you can detach 1 of this card's xyz materials and special summon it to your field as a Winged Beast-type monster.


	3. Action DUEL!

A/N: Alright! Got some nice ideas from one of this story's followers, so now I am excited to get this story going so I can work on making them usable. So again, read and review so I know what I'm doing!

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

" _Summoning chant/whispering"_

 **OC Card first appearance**

I own nothing but my OC, the cards I make, and the computer I'm typing this on.

* * *

"TAKUMIIII! AYUUUU!" Yuzu was still chasing Takumi and Ayu with Tatsuya and Futoshi trying to keep up with them. Takumi however, kept stopping every once in a while and just kept dancing out of the way of Yuzu's attempts to grab him so Tatsuya and Futoshi could keep up with them. Whenever he thought they had caught up enough, he started running again, following Ayu's directions and annoying Yuzu even further.

After a while of navigating streets and playing keep-away with Yuzu, Ayu pointed out a building to him. "There it is!" What greeted him was an asymmetrical building that seemed less like a school and more like a playpark for kids, assuming that really was a slide and climbing walls he was looking at. He was a little curious how such a thing was even stable enough to stay upright, but decided he should focus on ending the chase now that they had made it.

So, he stopped running, turned around, and help a hand out. "STOOOOOP!"

This action caused surprise in Yuzu who immediately moved to stop, and allowed Tatsuya and Futoshi to stop and catch their breath. "Huh? What?"

Takumi then smirked at her, with Ayu giggling at her from her perch atop his shoulders. "Well, I'm pretty sure we're here."

"Huh?" Yuzu looked around and realized that they actually were right outside of You Show. "Oh yeah. How come I didn't… even…" As she started trailing off, her face started to get menacing again as she went back to how Takumi was annoying her so much that she didn't even notice her surroundings. She then looked back at him as she remembered that he did that on purpose. "Youuu…"

The kids immediately knew what she was thinking and suddenly got very, very worried. Especially Ayu, who was still being carried by the current subject of her anger. "Uhhh, Taku-nii? Maybe we should get inside? Quickly."

Takumi, being as oblivious as ever, just looked up at her. "Hm? Why the rush?"

"Because," She pointed back at Yuzu, "that."

As Takumi looked back at Yuzu, he finally took notice of exactly how ticked off she was at him, and felt a distinct sense of bloodlust aimed at him. "Ohhh… That."

And with that, Takumi turned and ran for the front door, Ayu keeping an eye on Yuzu, who was pursuing him like a bull to red. As he went through the doors to what appeared to be the main room, he turned around to close them and separate himself from the immediate danger. But not before he caught a glimpse of Yuzu barreling down on him with a large paper fan. 'Where did that come from!?' After it closed, he held his back against the door with arms spread, Ayu doing the same from above. As they both let out a breath of relief-

*THWAAACK!*

The impact against the door caused it to shake, getting the both of them to let out a surprised sound of fear and panicked looks on their faces, then hearing a few more thwacks against the door. When they stopped, they looked at each other, then each put an ear against the door, listening for Yuzu.

"Huff, huff, huff." They hear nothing but tired breathing, slowly getting calmer.

"Uh, Ayu?"

"GAAAH!" The voice surprising the both of them, before they looked into the room and saw its occupants for the first time.

Takumi saw an older man with red hair and a red and orange jumpsuit, a small boy with blue hair in a small ponytail with a piece of candy in his mouth, and a boy with green and red hair that made Takumi think of a tomato, with goggles on his head. All three were sitting around the room, staring at him curiously. "Who is that, and what are you both doing?" The question had come from Tomato-head.

"Ah! Yuya-nii!" 'Oh, so his name's Yuya. Better than Tomato-head.' Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Hey, let me in!"

Yuya got up at that. "Was that Yuzu? What's going on?"

Takumi and Ayu sweat-dropped at that. "Haha, yeah, my bad. Hang on." He then took Ayu off his shoulders, put down the bag he had fastened to his back, and went to open the door. "Heeeyyyy Yuzu. Are you gonna kill me?"

Yuzu just looked at him, still a little ticked off, but Takumi couldn't see the fan anymore so he took it as a good sign. 'But… But where did it go?' Tatsuya and Futoshi were next to her, looking a little tired and smiling nervously. "Not now… But next time you pull something like that…" The look on her face then intensified, causing the kids look more nervous and Takumi to gulp out of reflex.

"Noted. Sorry." Figures. Not even a day in and he finds someone able to scare him about as much as Mrs. Hasegawa can!

"Could someone explain what just happened?" Yuya still had no idea what to think, the man in the jumpsuit was looking at Takumi suspiciously, wondering what he did to make Yuzu so angry, while the boy with the candy looked amused at everything going on.

"Eh?" Yuzu then took notice of everyone. "Oh, hey. Sorry about that. SOMEONE…" Yuzu glared at Takumi again, causing him to sweat-drop, "wanted to stop by and decided to lead a race here from the park." Takumi then laughed nervously while rubbing the back of his neck.

Suddenly, the man in the jumpsuit took notice that Yuzu said that the kid had wanted to stop by and was immediately in his face with an excited expression. "You wanted to come by!? Did you want to apply to be a student!? REALLY!?" Takumi blinked twice at that, while everyone minus Yuzu put on exasperated expressions.

Yuzu on the other hand, went back to being ticked, and immediately struck Mr. Jumpsuit in the head with the paper fan ('ITS BACK!'), knocking him against the wall!

Takumi blinked twice at Jumpsuit, then looked at Yuzu, all the while a look of apprehension on his face. Everyone else looked as if this was an everyday thing. 'But, how could that be?'. Yuzu then stood straight, looked at Jumpsuit, "ENOUGH DAD! LEARN SOME RESTRAINT ALREADY!" 'Oh. Dad. Now I can believe it being an everyday thing.'

The now identified Father to Yuzu then got up, rubbing his head in pain. "Owowow… Yuzuuuu…"

"Pfft."

Everyone just looked at Takumi, who was apparently trying to hold back laughter. "Pfft. PWuahahaaaha!" Once Takumi had caved, the kids soon followed his example, laughing with him.

Yuzu let out a sigh, while the others were trying to understand what was happening. "Takumi! Enough!"

Takumi then did his best to suppress his laughter. "Hahaa! Heheheh, sorry, sorry, haha! Hooooo…" Once he finally had his laughter under control, he looked at her with a massive smile on his face. "It's just, heheh, I never expected to see something like that so soon into getting into town. Hahah."

Takumi then looked to the people he hadn't met yet. "Hey! My name is Takumi Shou! I'm new in town, and heard from Yuzu that you guys specialize in duels that put smiles on people's faces, and thought it would be fun to stop by." He then looked at Jumpsuit. "So to answer your earlier question, yes, I'm here to apply."

Yuzu's father then put his own smile on his face. "Really!? Yes!" He held out a hand to Takumi. "My name is Shuzo Hiragi. I'm the principal here, as well as Yuzu's father." 'Principal. Huh. So that explains his earlier enthusiasm.'

Takumi then took his hand. "Nice to meet you."

As they let go, the boy with the candy walked up to him. "Hi. I'm Sora Shiunin. Nice to meet you, Takumi." He held a hand out to him. "Hope we get along!"

Which Takumi didn't hesitate to take. "Likewise!"

Finally, Yuya walked up to him. "Nice to meet you Takumi. I'm Yuya Sakaki. Let's have fun together, okay?" He then held out a hand to him.

Takumi quickly grabbed it with a massive grin on his face. "You bet!" Yuya grinned at that.

Shuzo then grabbed their attention. "Alright! Now I have to ask. How good of a duelist are you Takumi?"

Before he could even open his mouth, the kids decided to answer for him. "He's incredible!" "His Fusions are at least as good as Sora's!" "His dueling gave me the Shivers!"

Yuya, Shuzo, and Sora all caught what they said about Fusion, and looked at Takumi in surprise. "Wait, Takumi, you can use Fusion?" Yuya was the first to ask.

"Not just Fusion." This time, they all looked at Yuzu. "We saw him use Fusion, Synchro, AND Xyz. All in the same turn!"

"EHHHHH!?" The combined shout of both Yuya and Shuzo caused Takumi to once again wish his ears had some sort of protection. He didn't think Maiami would be so much louder than Shizukawa.

Shuzo then quickly grabbed both of Takumi's shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "Takumi, is it true!? You can use all three summonings!?" Takumi just blinked at him, then nodded. Shuzo then looked completely shocked. So much so that he started backing away with hands against his head. "Incredible! Could it really be true!? Someone with this much talent came here!? To You Show!? Just how lucky are-" *Thwack!*

Aaaand he wound up at the wall again. "DAD! CALM DOWN ALREADY" Yuzu just stood over him, fan in her hand once again.

Takumi quickly took this opportunity to quietly ask Yuya "Hey, where does she keep that thing when she isn't using it?"

Yuya looked at him, then shook his head. "I have no idea. I stopped trying to figure that out a long time ago." Takumi just looked at him, then at Yuzu, fear of her starting to increase.

"Still, that's pretty cool." They both looked at Sora. "It's rare to find someone who can use Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz. You're almost as rare as Yuya here." Yuya rubbed the back of his neck at that, chuckling.

Takumi blinked at that, looked at Yuya, back at Sora, and once again at Yuya. "What are you talking about?"

Everyone who was aware of this exchange, just blinked at him. Takumi looked around. "Hmm? Oh don't tell me there is something on my face again!" He looked at his nearest reflection. "I could have sworn I didn't see anything the last two times…" He then felt something dangerous behind him, looked past his reflection, paled, and jumped just out of the way of Yuzu's fan just before it hit. "Gaaahh! What did I do this time!?"

Yuzu just glared at him. "There is nothing on your face! They were staring at you!"

Takumi took a moment to process that. "Oh. Why?"

Yuzu sighed at that, letting Shuzo take over. "Because apparently you don't know about our 'Pendulum Pioneer'." As Shuzo said that, Yuya chuckled nervously again.

Takumi just blinked. "Yuya? Pioneer? What?" Takumi truly had no idea what they were talking about.

So Ayu tried telling him. "Yuya-nii is the first person to use a new summoning method, Pendulum Summoning!"

Once Takumi heard that, his eyes widened and he looked at Yuya. "New method!? Really!? Howdoesitwork!?" By the end of that statement, he was up in Yuya's face, who was sweat-dropping at Takumi's behavior.

"Taaaa, kuuuu, miiii…" Hearing that voice with that tone immediately caused him to back up away from the source with arms up in surrender, a glaring Yuzu holding her fan with both hands.

"Sorry, sorry. Couldn't help myself." Takumi quickly pleaded for is life to Yuzu, now knowing how scary she is after watching her assault her own father twice in as many minutes. He wasn't sure why, but apparently she didn't like that, and he was more than willing to keep that weapon of hers as far away from himself as he can after seeing what it could do.

"Oi, Yuzu, calm down. I was just surprised." Yuya went to quick work trying to calm her down, which apparently worked, seeing as how her glare softened into a normal face and she let out a sigh in surrender. 'Huh. Are they dating? That could explain the hostility just now as being protective…' "Anyway, Takumi, you wanna know about Pendulum?"

That quickly fixed his mood. "Yes please! How does it work?"

"Stooop!" At the interruption from Shuzo, everyone looked at him to see the smirk on his face. "I have a better idea. A way for Yuya to tell Takumi about Pendulum. And for all of us to see Takumi's skill ourselves. Yuya! Takumi! The two of you will take part in a hot-blooded Action Duel!"

Takumi's eyes lit up at that! "Action Duel!?" Shizukawa had never had the equipment to do something like an Action Duel, but he had seen them on TV. But to actually get to take part in one!

Yuya smiled at Takumi's face. "Sure, sounds like fun. Can we keep our disks on practice mode though?"

Takumi snapped out of his trance at that. "Hm? Sure, but why?"

"I'm just trying to increase my win ratio. I need just a few more wins before it gets to where I want it, and I don't want this go towards that score."

"Oh. Okay, sure. I'm just happy to be in an Action Duel. I've never been in one before."

"Really?"

"Yeah, we never had the equipment for one back home. The closest I've come has been to see them on TV."

Shuzo smiled at that. "Well you're in luck, because we have the equipment for one right here!"

"Awww. I wanted to duel him first." Sora complained while sucking on his candy.

"Sorry Sora. Maybe later?" Takumi tried to negotiate with Sora, while trying to keep himself from being too excited.

"Fiiiiiine."

"Yuya and Takumi are gonna duel!?" "I wonder who's gonna win?" "Shivers!" The kids quickly followed after the rest as they made their way to the duel area.

While Shuzo went to the control room and everyone else went to the observation area, Takumi followed Yuya to the field. He was greeted by the sight of a large rectangular room with a cage ceiling at the top. He and Yuya took up positions on opposite sides of the cage.

Shuzo then called down with the microphone. "Alright, we're all set. Takumi? Do you have a preference on the field we bring in?"

Takumi thought about it for a few moments. "You got anything with forests or mountains?"

"You bet! Activating the Action Field, Verdant Crater!" As Shuzo finished talking, light started to shine all around them, transforming the cage into a lush, prehistoric-looking jungle! As Takumi stared in wonder, he noticed a series of cliff faces out in the distance. Based off what Shuzo said, Takumi guessed that the field was a large crater filled with ancient greenery.

Takumi ran up to a nearby tree and tried touching it. When he felt bark, he pulled back, only to reach out again and run his hand around the trunk. "Wooow. It's one thing to see it on TV, but this is way more awesome!"

Laughing caught his attention, and he looked over to Yuya, who was enjoying his reactions to Solid Vision. "Well, what do you think? Awesome right?" To which Takumi quickly agreed, getting another laugh from Yuya. "Good. You ready to start, or should I tell you the Oath first?"

Takumi grinned at him. "Are you kidding? Do you know how many Action Duels I've seen on TV!?" He then blinked a couple times. "Actually, I lost count myself…"

That got yet another laugh out of Yuya. "Haha. Alright then. Would you like to start, or shall I?"

Takumi then bowed to him. "If I may have the honor?"

Yuya bowed back, playing along. "You may."

"Thanks. Now then…"

Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters.

They storm through this field!

Behold!

This is the latest and greatest evolution of dueling!

Action… DUEL!

Yuya: 4000

Takumi: 4000

As the action cards spread about the field, Takumi grinned to Yuya. "Alright Yuya! Show me how it's done!"

"Alright! I'll start off by playing Performapal Hip Hippo!" Yuya's hippo appeared next to him, and Yuya quickly hopped on. "I end my turn. Let's go Hippo!" Hippo made a noise in agreement and started running off.

"Woah! Awesome! Alright, my turn. I draw!" Takumi looked at his cards, smiled, and started chasing after Yuya. "I play my Mist Valley Falcon." As his monster appeared next to him, he moved towards its back and Falcon let him climb onto it. Falcon then took off chasing after Yuya from the air. "Next, I play a card face-down. Now, I'll return it to my hand so Falcon can attack! Go, attack Hip Hippo!"

As Falcon sped up and prepared to strike, Yuya reached out and grabbed an Action card and activated it. "Action magic: Evasion!" Hippo then jumped right at the last second, avoiding Falcon's attack and rolling while in the air. "This lets me negate 1 attack." He then landed and Hippo kept on running.

Takumi just kept grinning. "Nice move! I place two cards face-down to end my turn!"

"My turn. Draw!" As he drew he maneuvered Hippo over to a clearing, which which Takumi followed him to from atop Falcon. "Now my Hippo has an amazing trick. When summoning a level 7 or higher monster, I can treat Hippo as two monsters for a tribute summon!" He then hopped off Hippo, who disappeared into light. "I tribute Hippo to summon the main attraction to our show! Appear! Wondrous and beautiful dichromatic eyes! Odd-eyes Pendulum Dragon!" What appeared was a large dragon that looked so amazing, Takumi was having trouble deciding whether or not if it was cooler than Blue-eyes!

Yuya then hopped onto Odd-eyes and looked right at Takumi. "Battle! Odd-eyes! Attack Falcon with Spiraling Strike Burst!" As Odd-eyes prepared to strike, Takumi saw a card not far away from him and leaped for it.

"Action Magic: Miracle! With this, Falcon survives the battle, and I take half the damage!" As Odd-eyes' attack collided with Falcon, it glowed from the protective power of the Action card and held its sword defensively against it.

Takumi: 4000 - 3750

Yuya smiled at Takumi. "Not bad. You figured this out pretty quickly."

"Thanks. The people back home always said I was a quick study when it came to dueling."

"Looks like they were right. Your move."

"Alright! I draw. I summon **Vanguard of the Trinity**!" His newest monster looked similar to his Grand Chief, except it was only 5ft tall, had no headdress, and carried a spear.

 **Vanguard of the Trinity: Winged Beast-Type/Fire/lvl4**

 **ATK:1800 DEF:1000**

"I activate Vanguard's effect! I can half the ATK of one Winged Beast I control and apply the difference to another one. I choose to half the ATK of Vanguard to strengthen Falcon!" Vanguard then raised its spear and gave a call, giving its strength to Falcon.

1800 - 900

2000 - 2900

"What!?" Yuya looked around for cards and spotted one a distance away. "Come on Odd-eyes." He quickly directed Odd-eyes to where he saw the card. Takumi saw this, and noticed another one nearby and started moving to it, as he started his attack.

"Falcon! Attack Odd-eyes!" As he returned one of his face-downs to the hand, Falcon quickly flew after Yuya's dragon.

But Yuya quickly made it to the card and played it. "Evasion! I escape again!" As Odd-eyes leapt out of the way of the attack, Takumi picked up and looked at his card, smirking. "Wanna bet? I activate Action Magic: No Action and negate your Action card!" "WHAT!?" As Falcon continued to pursue Yuya, he kept looking for more cards, but he wasn't fast enough and Odd-eyes got destroyed. "Gaaarrgh!"

Yuya: 4000 - 3600

"Hey Yuya! You okay?" Takumi looked over at where Yuya had fallen from atop his dragon.

Yuya then got up and started laughing. "Haha! Nice timing on your card huh? Man, you got me there."

Takumi grinned at that. "Thanks! This is already one of the best duels I've ever had!"

"And it's only going to get better. Now then, here is where I can start telling you about Pendulum." He then picked up his Odd-eyes card, which Takumi just noticed that it looked different from other monster cards. "Odd-eyes is what's known as a Pendulum monster. They're necessary for a Pendulum summon. Where an ordinary monster would go from the field to the graveyard, a Pendulum monster instead goes to the Extra Deck." Yuya then placed his monster in the Extra Deck section of his duel disk. "I can explain more later."

Takumi already had stars in his eyes. "Wow! Monsters that go to the Extra Deck when destroyed!? This is already awesome!" He wondered what sort of purpose that would serve, then shook himself out of it. "Right, right, more later. Alright then. Since I used Vanguard's effect on himself, he can't attack. So I'll instead put this card face-down and end my turn, returning my monster's ATK points to normal."

900 - 1800

2900 - 2000

"Alright. I draw!"

After he drew, the lights dimmed, a drumroll began, and spotlights started moving around. "Huh?" After a while, the lights found their way to Yuya, who was already striking a pose.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! The moment you've all been waiting for has arrived!"

Back in the observation booth the kids were getting excited. "It's here!" "Yuya-nii's Pendulum Summon!" "Shivers!"

Sora just kept sucking his candy. "Wonder how Takumi might do after this?"

"I use the scale 1 Stargazer Magician and the scale 8 Timegazer Magician to set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuya's magicians then appeared in pillars of light, the numbers 1 and 8 appearing beneath each of them respectively, and an image of the pendant around Yuya's neck in between. "With this, I can now summon monsters with levels from 2 through 7 simultaneously!

 _Swing, pendulum of my soul. Draw an arc of light across the aether. Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my monster servants!"_

Out from the portal that formed between his magicians, 3 beams of light came out, taking the forms of his monsters. "First, Performapal Whip Snake! Next, Performapal Silver Claw! And last but not least, reviving from my Extra Deck, the star of our show, Odd-eyes Pendulum Dragon!" As Yuya's monsters appeared, Odd-eyes let out a roar, leaving Takumi awestruck.

In fact, he never noticed the glow that came from his own pendant, or how Vanguard, some of the cards in his hand, and some of the cards in his deck glowed with it, during the summon.

Yuya then hopped on his dragon again. "I activate the effect of Whip Snake! Once per turn, I can swap the ATK and DEF of a monster on the field. I choose Falcon!" Whip Snake lifted the charm on its tail and mesmerized Falcon.

2000 - 1200

"What!?" Takumi did not like how this was going.

"Battle! Silver claw! Attack Falcon!" Silver Claw started to charge at Falcon. "At this time, Silver Claw's effect activates! The ATK of all Performapal monsters I control increases by 300!"

1800 - 2100

1700 - 2000

"I activate my trap. Negate Attack will stop your monster and end the Battle Phase!"

"I activate the Pendulum Effect of Timegazer Magician! Once per turn, I can negate the effect of a trap card that targets a Pendulum monster and set it back down!" As Timegazer used its powers to counter Takumi's trap, Silver Claw continued its attack, destroying Falcon.

"Garrgh"

Takumi: 3750 - 2850

"Next, Whip Snake attacks Vanguard!" As Whip Snake went to attack Vanguard, Takumi activates his other face-down.

"I activate **Evasive maneuvers!** This lets me negate an attack against a Winged Beast I control and add that monster back into my hand!" Just before Whip Snake hit Vanguard, it took flight and disappeared into Takumi's hand, who immediately ran to find an Action Card.

"Not bad, but let's see if you can avoid this! Odd-eyes, attack directly with Spiraling Strike Burst!" As Takumi spotted an Action card he made a dive for it, only to get hit just as he grabbed it, the blast knocking him into a tree.

"AAAARRGH!"

Takumi: 2850 - 350

"Taku-nii!" The kids looked at him in shock, the others looking on in worry.

Yuya moved Odd-eyes closer to Takumi. "Oi, Takumi! Are you okay?" He started to get worried, only to notice Takumi shaking a little.

"…he…hehe…hehehehahaahHAHAHAHAAA! THIS IS AWESOME! HAHAHA!" Takumi had rolled onto his back and just lay there laughing, not even concerned that he had been flung into a tree. Seeing that put Yuya and the others at ease.

After a few moments, Takumi jumped up, dusted himself off, and just kept smiling at Yuya. "This is the most incredible duel I've ever been in! HAHAHA! Pendulum is awesome!" Takumi had thrown his arms in the air from excitement.

"Hahaha." Yuya couldn't help it anymore, and he started laughing with him. "Glad you think so. Alright. I end my turn, returning my monsters ATK to normal. Now show me what you can do!"

2000 -1700

2100 - 1800

"Roger that! But before your turn actually ends, I activate the Action Card, **Covert Maneuver**. With it, I can return a facedown spell or trap card on my field to my deck, and set a new one from my deck." Takumi's facedown Negate Attack then revealed itself, then shot back into his deck. He then pulled out a new card and set it on the field.

"Now it's my turn. I draw!" Takumi drew his card and looked at his hand, then froze. "Huh?" Takumi looked again, and saw that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. Some of his cards had changed. 'What?'

Yuya seemed to notice the confusion on Takumi's face. "Oi, Takumi! Something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, no, just give me a moment." Takumi then looked at his cards, and then looked at Yuya's through the disk, and realized what happened. 'But... but how!?' Takumi just looked back at his cards, then shook his head. 'Ah, oh well. I'll worry about the "how" later. Let's see if I know how this works.'

Takumi re-familiarized himself with his monsters and grinned when he came up with a plan. "Alright! This could work!" Takumi looked back at Yuya. "Hey Yuya! Sorry about this, but I have no idea how this happened."

Yuya just looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

Takumi just smirked. "I mean this!" Takumi then pulled 2 of the cards from his hand. "I, using the scale 7 Vanguard of the Trinity and the scale 1 **Protector of the Trinity** set the Pendulum scale!"

Everyone in the observation and control rooms were so shocked, that Sora actually dropped the candy that was in his mouth! "WHAT!?"

"PENDULUM!?" Yuya had never expected to meet yet another duelist who had Pendulum cards so soon after Reiji.

On either side of Takumi rose 2 pillars of light, the one on his left carrying Vanguard, and the one on his right carrying a monster similar to it, but instead carrying a club and a large wooden shield. Between them, a representation of his own pendant hung.

 **Protector of the Trinity: Winged Beast-Type/Fire/lvl3/Sc1**

 **ATK:1000 DEF:1800**

"Takumi! How do you have Pendulum cards!?" Yuya could see them but still couldn't believe it!

Takumi then rubbed the back of his neck. "Like I said, I have no idea! But this is probably my best shot at figuring out how it works." He then took a stance and grinned at Yuya. "You don't mind that part, do you?"

"HUH!?"

"I'll take that as a yes! With the currently set Pendulum scale, I can simultaneously summon monsters of levels 2 through 6!" Takumi wasn't sure how, but somehow he knew exactly what words to say.

" _Wings that carry me to the unknown future! Awaken the infinite potential within, and guide me down the path to success! Pendulum Summon! Flock to me, my avian allies!"_

Out from the resulting portal came two beams of light, transforming into his monsters. "First up, **Scout of the Trinity**!" Out came yet another tribal looking birdman, outfitted for recon with a pair of knives. "And next, the leader of the tribal avians that serve divinity! Grand Chieftain of the Trinity!" As Chieftain appeared, it twirled its staff and slammed the butt of it against the ground.

 **Scout of the Trinity: Winged Beast-Type/Wind/tuner/lvl4/Sc7**

 **ATK:1100 DEF:1700**

Yuya was stunned. Takumi didn't even know what pendulum was until earlier. Now here he was, using it like it was nothing!

"Due to the pendulum effects of Vanguard and Protector, each Winged beast I control gains 300 ATK and DEF."

1100 - 1400

2100 - 2400

"Next, Scout's effect! Since it was summoned, I can now I can now look at cards from the top of my deck up to the number of Winged Beast-type monsters I control! I can then take 1 Winged Beast among the cards and then rearrange the rest in any way I like. Also, if happens to be another 'Trinity' monster, I can immediately summon it!" Takumi pulled out the top 2 cards, and grinned. "Alright! 1 of the cards is my Rallis the Star Bird! It may not be another Trinity card, but I can still normal summon this turn! Come on out!" The orange bird then took a spot next to Scout.

800 - 1100

"Next I activate the effect of Chieftain! I can now change the level of 1 Winged Beast on the field. I'll make Rallis level 2." Chieftain then sent rainbow light washing over the orange bird, reducing its level by 1. "But we'll get back to that later. For now, I use his second effect on himself! Now, for every attribute on the field, Chieftain gains 300 ATK!" Chieftain then shrouded itself with rainbow light, making it stronger. "Rallis and Scout are Wind, Odd-eyes and Silver Claw are Dark, and Chieftain and Whip Snake are Earth! That's three attributes, for 900 ATK!"

2400 – 3300

"That's enough to beat Odd-eyes!"

"Probably. But I have something else in mind. Rallis! Attack Odd-eyes!"

"What? But Odd-eyes still has more ATK points!"

"For now. But Rallis has a very fun effect. Go, Rising Stars!" Rallis then gave a cry, and Odd-eyes glowed an orange light. Yuya watched from on top, as seven small, orange orbs of light then flew out of it and began to orbit Rallis as it ascended. "When Rallis attacks, he gains ATK equal to the level of the opposing monster x200! Odd-eyes is level 7, so Rallis goes up by 1400!"

1100 – 2500

"It's now equal to Odd-eyes!"

"Rallis! Attack Odd-eyes!" Rallis then went far above the trees and gathered the energy from the orbs and flew straight down at Odd-eyes. Before it was close enough, Yuya hopped onto Silver Claw, not spotting an action card in time to save Odd-eyes.

As the monsters collided, a smoke cloud rose, and a small shock wave went out. As Yuya recovered, he looked back at Takumi. "Why would you sacrifice your monster like that!?"

Takumi just smirked. "Sacrifice? I would never! You should look more closely." Yuya looked confused, as he looked back at the smoke. As it cleared, Yuya looked on shocked as Rallis emerged unscathed. "You're not the only one who's Pendulum's can protect their monsters! Once per turn, Protector of the Trinity can prevent a Winged Beast-type I control from being destroyed!"

"No way!" Not only was Yuya surprised, but so were those watching.

"Of course, now that Rallis has attacked, he banishes himself until my next Battle Phase." Rallis then glowed orange. "But I have something different in mind for him. And I'll use my new facedown to do it!" Takumi revealed the facedown and shocked everyone with what it was. "Go, Urgent Tuning! With it, I can perform a Synchro summon during the Battle Phase!"

"A Synchro during Battle!?"

"I tune the now level 2 Rallis to my level 4 Scout!" Rallis then shook off the energy and flew up with Scout. Scout then became 4 rings of light, and as Rallis flew through them, it became 2 stars.

" _Hardened through battle, chase down those that would oppose the tribe! Synchro Summon! Arrive, Level 6!_ _ **Scarred Raptor of the Trinity!**_ "

Appearing from the light came an eagle-like bird of similar size to Takumi's Mythic Wings. Its feathers were yellow and missing in some areas. Its eyes were green, and its talons and beak were nearly covered in scars, and there was a diamond shaped topaz embedded in its forehead.

 **Scarred Raptor of the Trinity: Synchro/Winged Beast/Wind/lv6**

 **ATK: 2400 DEF: 1600**

2400 - 2700

"No way!" Yuya was shocked at seeing a monster like that.

"Yup! Sure, Rallis could have destroyed a different monster easily, but this way I have a better shot of ending this here." Scarred Raptor then landed in front of Takumi and lowered its head. Grinning, Takumi got on top of it, legs on either side of its neck, and held on as Raptor took off, Chieftain hot on their tail. "WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!"

Takumi was having a blast, but managed to keep his mind on the duel. "Now then. I think this is the point where I start doing damage! Grand Chieftain! Attack Silver Claw with Universal Force!" Chieftain then flew up and charged Tri-colored energy into its staff, as Yuya was riding Silver Claw looking for cards, Whip Snake wrapped around his arm.

Seeing one in a tree, he sent Whip Snake to go reaching for it like a grappling hook. As Takumi noticed this, he looked around for a card of his own. Spotting one, he guided Raptor as quickly as he could to it.

Yuya got his card first. "Thanks pal. I activate the Action card, Evasion! I negate your attack!" As the energy came down towards him and Silver Claw, the wolf leapt out of the way.

Swiping his card out from the top of a tree as he flew by, Takumi grinned at what it was. "Don't get comfy Yuya! I activate the Action card **Successful Feint!** When my opponent plays a card effect that negates an attack, I can give the blocked monster one more attack this turn and when it attacks, you can't play any cards in response until after the damage step! One more time! Universal Force!" Chieftain then sent more energy at Yuya and Silver Claw.

"Uh-oh!" Yuya managed to avoid a direct hit by grappling to a tree branch with the help of Whip Snake. Unfortunately, Yuya's monster wasn't so lucky.

Yuya: 3600 – 2100

"Thanks Chief! We'll handle it from here!" At Chieftain's nod to Takumi, he let loose a wide grin, and guided Scarred Raptor towards Yuya and Whip Snake. "Scarred Raptor now attacks Whip Snake!" Takumi started pursuing Yuya, who was hopping from tree to tree looking for another card. Snagging one, he hopped out of the tree to play it.

"I activate the Action card, **Changing Tactics!** I can now change the battle position of one monster on my field. Whip Snake!" As Whip Snake removed itself from Yuya's arm, it took position in front of him defensively, as Raptor flew straight at, and then through Whip Snake. "With that, my life points are safe this turn!"

"Did I mention Raptor's effect?" Yuya looked back at Takumi in shock, as four orbs of yellow light formed from energy coming from the Topaz on Raptor's head. "If Scarred Raptor is Synchro summoned by using at least one WIND monster as material, Raptor gains a very fun trick! When it destroys a monster in battle, I can deal damage equal to its level/Rank x100!" The orbs then went flying straight at Yuya who had no time to dodge.

"Argh!"

2100 – 1700

"The second effect! Raptor can attack again!" At Takumi's words, Yuya noticed with shock that Raptor was coming around for another attack! He then started running, looking for more Action cards, but was unable to outrun Takumi's eagle-like monster. "Go! Honored Charge!" Raptor then ran into Yuya, knocking him off his feet, then taking Takumi up high for a victory lap.

"GAAARRGH!"

1700 - 0

Winner: Takumi

As Takumi started cheering about his first win in an Action Duel, the field started to dissipate, and Takumi quickly realized just how far up he was when the tips of Scarred Raptor's wings started to fade. He then paled, and ordered Raptor to land as quickly as it could. It did so and had about 10ft left and was just leveling off when he disappeared completely, leaving Takumi to land in a roll that had him hitting the wall, with back on the floor and legs up in the air, slightly dizzy from the roll.

He then blinked twice, and stared laughing again without getting up. "HAHAHAHA! THAT WAS AWESOME! Hahaha!" As Yuya looked at Takumi, laughing in such a weird position, he couldn't help laughing too. He just couldn't bring himself to feel bad about his loss.

"Yuyaaa! Takumi!" They both looked over, still chuckling, to see everyone who was watching running over. Yuzu went over to Yuya to help him up, while everyone else went to congratulate Takumi.

"Taku-nii, that was amazing!" "That duel gave me some incredible shivers!" "You didn't say you could Pendulum!" Hearing that got Yuya's attention once more to the impossibility of Takumi's deck, and he quickly went over to him.

Who still hadn't moved from his position and just laughed nervously at that. "Hehe, yeah, because I couldn't. I didn't even have any Pendulum cards until that last turn."

"What!? How!?" Yuya and Yuzu were completely baffled at that response, to which Takumi somehow managed to shrug from his position.

"Dunno. One moment they were regular cards, and the next they were pendulum cards. Didn't see how it happened." Takumi replied to them truthfully, earning baffled faces from everyone. He just looked at them in confusion. "Okay. Pretty sure there isn't anything on my face this time, so you all are looking at me then, right?" He then looked at how he was positioned, and back to them. "Would it help if I stood up?"

As he stood up, "HOT-BLOODED!" the sudden shout surprised everyone, nearly sending the unprepared Takumi back on the floor. Shuzo quickly appeared and grabbed him by the shoulders. "You are incredible! A duelist of your skill and talent is absolutely incredible! And you're really serious about wanting to go here!?"

*Thwack!* "Owowowwww…" "DAD, ENOUGH!" Takumi just blinked at what just happened. 'And the people back home said I was crazy.'

Takumi then put on a new grin. "Yup, I'm serious about wanting to come here. The duel with Yuya has been the most fun I've ever had!" Everyone looked at him happily at that, Shuzo with tears in his eyes, though Takumi wasn't sure if it was from joy, or pain.

"ALRIGHT! Time to celebrate the latest addition to the You Show Duel School! Dinner is on me!" Apparently he wasn't in enough pain to curb his demeanor, getting Shuzo to stand proudly. And Takumi REALLY liked the sound of free food, so he didn't argue.

"Eh? But I want to duel Takumi! I wanna see his Fusions!" Sora kept on complaining about not getting to duel Takumi, who was starting to laugh nervously. But before anyone could argue, they all heard a loud grumbling sound.

They then looked around for where it came from, and soon took notice of the guilty look on Takumi's face. "… So, I think I might be overdue for some chow. Hehe."

"Haha! Sorry Sora, looks like you'll have to postpone your duel with him a little longer." Yuya tried to cheer up Sora, who decided to surrender to going and getting some food.

"Alright! Dinner Time!" And with that, Takumi followed his new friends out of the school and to a nearby restaurant.

* * *

A/N: So, who likes Angry Yuzu? After all, anyone who can pull a favored weapon out of thin air is automatically one of my favorite characters. I also hope you like the way I introduced Takumi to Pendulum. I thought up multiple versions on how the duel could go, but decided to use the one that would show off the most of Takumi's "of the Trinity" cards. The monsters I created for this story are one of my favorite things about writing this.

Another, would be showing just how much Takumi likes to have fun, and his interactions with the cast.

Anyway. Next time, I plan to reveal a part of what Takumi's "Trinity" consists of. I have left hints about what they are. Let's see who feels like guessing what they are. And as always I am still interested in other thoughts about what I could bring into the story. Decks you'd like to see used, new characters I could introduce, etc. etc. Thanks again for reading, now here are the new cards I used. As well as Chieftain's Pendulum stats that I withheld in the first chapter.

 **OC cards**

 **Evasive Maneuvers** : Trap/normal

When a Winged Beast-type monster you control is attacked, you can return that monster to your hand and negate the attack.

 **Vanguard of the Trinity** : Winged Beast-Type/Fire/lvl4/Sc7

ATK:1800 DEF:1000

Once per turn, you can target 2 Winged Beast-type monsters you control; Halve the ATK of one and apply the difference to the other until the End Phase. The monster that loses ATK cannot attack during the turn you use this effect.

P.E.- This card is unaffected by monster effects. You can only Pendulum Summon Winged Beast-type monsters, and this effect cannot be negated. All Winged Beast-type monsters you control gain 300 ATK. Once per turn, when a Winged Beast-type monster you control is targeted for an attack, you may increase the ATK and DEF of that monster by half of the original ATK and DEF of 1 other Winged Beast-type monster on your field during the damage step only.

 **Protector of the Trinity** : Winged Beast-Type/Fire/lvl3/Sc1

ATK:1000 DEF:1800

This defense position card cannot be destroyed by battle. Your opponent cannot target another face-up Winged Beast-type monster you control for an attack.

P.E.- This card is unaffected by monster effects. You can only Pendulum Summon Winged Beast-type monsters, and this effect cannot be negated. All Winged Beast-type monsters you control gain 300 DEF. Once per turn, you can either negate an attack aimed at a Winged beast-type monster you control OR prevent 1 Winged beast-type monster from being destroyed in battle or by card effects.

 **Scout of the Trinity** : Winged Beast-Type/Wind/tuner/lvl4/Sc7

ATK:1100 DEF:1700

When this card is summoned, look at a number of cards from the top of your deck up to the number of Winged Beast-type monsters you control, and then place them back on top in any order, and if there are any Winged Beast-type monsters among the cards, choose one of them and add it to your hand OR if it was a "Trinity" monster, you can special summon it. You can only activate this effect of "Scout of the Trinity" once per turn.

P.E.- This card is unaffected by monster effects. You can only Pendulum Summon Winged Beast-type monsters, and this effect cannot be negated. Once, while this card is face-up in the Pendulum Zone, you may look at a number of cards on top of your deck equal to the number of cards your opponent controls. You may add 1 Winged Beast-type monster or "Trinity" spell/trap among those cards to your hand for each monster your opponent controls. Place the rest on either the top or bottom of the deck in any order

 **Grand Chieftain of the Trinity** : Winged Beast-type/Earth/level6/sc4

ATK: 2100 DEF: 2100

Once per turn, you can target 1 Winged Beast-type monster on the field; until your next Standby Phase, the target monster gains 300 ATK and DEF for each attribute on the field. Once per turn, you can change the level of 1 Winged Beast-type on the field to any level from 1 to 6. If this Pendulum Summoned card is used as a Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz material, the summoned monster gains the appropriate effect:

Fusion: This card cannot be destroyed in battle with a non-Fusion monster and is unaffected by the effects of a non-Fusion monster.

Synchro: This card cannot be destroyed in battle with a non-Synchro monster and is unaffected by the effects of a non-Synchro monster.

Xyz: This card cannot be destroyed in battle with a non-Xyz monster and is unaffected by the effects of a non-Xyz monster.

P.E.- This card is unaffected by monster effects. You can only Pendulum Summon Winged Beast-type monsters, and this effect cannot be negated. All Winged Beast-type Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz monsters you control gain 200 ATK and DEF for each attribute on the field. Once per turn, you can increase or decrease this card's Pendulum scale by 3 until the End Phase.

 **Scarred Raptor of the Trinity** : Synchro/Winged Beast/Wind/lv6

ATK: 2400 DEF: 1600

1 Winged Beast-type "Trinity" tuner + 1 or more Winged Beast-type monster(s)

If this card is summoned (except by Synchro), you can inflict damage to your opponent equal to the number of Winged Beast-type monsters you control x100. If you used 1 or more WIND non-tuner monsters to summon this card, it gains the following effect:

When this card destroys a monster in battle, you can deal damage to your opponent equal to its level/Rank x100 and this card can attack again.

 **Action Magic Covert** **Maneuver** :Target one facedown spell or trap card on your field; return it to the deck and set 1 spell or trap card from your deck.

 **Action Magic Successful Feint:** When a card effect is played that negates an attack from a monster you control, the targeted monster may attack again. Also, when the target monster attacks, your opponent cannot activate any cards or effects until the end of the damage step.

 **Action Magic Changing Tactics:** Change the battle position of 1 monster you control.


	4. Undying Hope

I own nothing but my OC character and cards.

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

" _summon chants/whispers"_

Vision/message

 **OC card first appearance**

* * *

[LDS Headquarters – Control Room]

Inside this dimly lit room, walls were covered in computer screens, and numerous computer operators worked tirelessly. From this room, they could monitor the city, keeping an eye out for duelists with skill for either recruitment, keeping an eye out on the progress of their own, or taking notice of any possible competitors.

Within this room, there was a man wearing glasses and a long red scarf, engaged in a conversation with another man in a security suit and blue shades. At least, until someone got their attention.

"Mr. President sir! We've picked up strong summoning energy from an unknown source. Power levels put it at… 90-100%!"

At that, the man in the scarf walked over to them. "Which method is it? Fusion? Xyz?" They were already picking up readings for those two methods periodically, so it wasn't unquestionable that more would come.

"Neither sir. The readings say… Pendulum! And they don't seem to be coming from Yuya Sakaki!"

"What!?" The man in the security outfit was baffled. They hadn't heard of anyone other than Yuya who even had Pendulum cards, and the ones that the President had were the only completed prototypes! And even those didn't give out energy at the same level at Yuya's! "How is this possible?"

Scarf-and-glasses just narrowed his eyes at the statement, and looked at the data himself. "Can you triangulate where they originated?"

"Yes sir. Narrowing down the point of origin." The operator typed for a few moments, fingers flying across the keyboard. "According to this, the summoning energy originated at… You Show Duel School."

Scarf just raised an eyebrow, intrigued by how there is apparently another duelist of Yuya's ability in such close proximity, then noticed something else in the data. "What's this?" He pointed out a fluctuation in the summoning readings.

The operator looked deeper into the readings, typing out commands. "According to this, there is also a presence of Synchro energy, though not as strong as the Pendulum, they had occurred close enough together to not be noticed at first. Readings are at 70-80% for Synchro."

Suit then walked up to Scarf. "President Reiji, if this data is accurate, there is a duelist out there with skill comparable to Yuya Sakaki's Pendulum Summoning, who is also capable of Synchro!" "I can see that Nakajima." Reiji held a hand to his chin in thought. They don't have any cameras within You Show, but maybe there is another way to find out who this duelist is. "Check previous Synchro energy readings and look for a match to the one here, then see if we have any recorded visuals of the duelist."

"Yes sir." The operator went back to typing on their keyboard. After a few minutes, "Sir. I found a match to the energy. There is one other occurrence of Synchro energy of this frequency in the city, but…! Sir, we are also seeing similar levels of Fusion and Xyz from the same duel!"

"Hmm. Do we have any visuals?"

"Yes sir. Pulling the feed from the park cameras." On the main screen appeared an image of the park, with a group of delinquents surrounding a smaller group of kids. After a few moments, a kid with sky blue hair walked up to the largest one and tapped him on the shoulder.

Reiji just stood there and watched the recording of the duel that followed, surprised that there was someone out there who could perform simultaneous summoning that wasn't affiliated with LDS. 'And to think, he could also have Pendulum. He could prove to be a helpful ally…'

Reiji looked back at the operator. "If that is a standard duel disk, his profile should be accessible. Find out who he is and where he comes from." "Yes sir."

"Should I put together a team to find him?" Nakajima asked Reiji.

"That shouldn't be necessary, but perhaps someone can meet with him, to help determine what kind of person he may be. He may already be a student of You Show, but I would like to see about the possibility of him coming to LDS."

"Sir, we have a profile. His name is Takumi Shou." An image of Takumi appeared on the big screen. "According to this, he's from a small town called Shizukawa. He apparently came to Maiami today. His win ratio is… 84%!"

"Impressive." Reiji looked at Nakajima. "Keep an eye out for when he duels next. I would like to know more about his allegiances before we make any sort of move."

"Yes sir."

* * *

[Later, at a restaurant]

"Delicious!" Takumi was eating his dinner with gusto, enjoying the food as much as he can.

Everyone from You Show looked at him, only slightly surprised at how he was eating.

Together, they had decided on an Italian restaurant, with Takumi agreeing since he'd never been to one before. They had all decided on pasta, which, of course, Takumi had no idea what that was, but was eager to try it. When it arrived at their table, he gave it a taste, and froze. Everyone was concerned that he didn't like the food, then saw stars appear in his eyes and a smile on his face. Which led to how they were watching him somehow eat rapidly while also not being disgusting at it.

"Haha. Now that is some hot-blooded eating!" Shuzo was chuckling at how much energy Takumi had, Yuzu and Yuya were sweat-dropping at the display, while the rest were looking at him in amusement.

After Shuzo's voice got him to remember where he was, he quickly got himself under control, swallowed what was left in his mouth, and gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Hehe, sorry. Haven't had food like that before."

"We couldn't tell." Sora replied with a smirk, getting Takumi to laugh. "That reminds me, you never said where you're from."

Takumi blinked, and looked up in thought. "Hmm. I never did, did I?" He then looked back at everyone smiling. "Well, I come from a small town called Shizukawa. We don't have any equipment like you do for Action Duels, and we have slightly less focus on it than people from the city do. That said, pro duelists often choose it as a retirement or vacation location when they were ready to take a break due to how peaceful it typically is out there. Because of that, there were no shortage of people who were able to teach others how to duel." Takumi then grinned. "And none of them were stronger than Akihiro!"

"Wait, Akihiro? You don't mean Akihiro Shirokawa do you!?" Shuzo was standing with both his hands on the table, Takumi surprised that he knew who he was talking about, and everyone else wondering who they were taking about, sans Yuzu who was looking embarrassed at her dad for the public display.

Takumi just smiled. "Yeah, him. When people went to him asking for advice or to teach them how to duel, he dueled them himself and told them they had to figure it out as they went! HAHA!" Then started laughing while grinning like an idiot. "Haha, his method of teaching people how to duel was my favorite! It's like how a parent bird pushes their chick out of the nest so they can learn to fly."

Shuzo just kept staring at him in shock. "You mean you've had the chance to duel him!"

"Ehem. Dad…" Shuzo then immediately sat back down at the tone his daughter used, knowing what could happen next.

"Sorry, but, AKIHIRO SHIROKAWA!"

Yuya just looked at him in confusion. "Who's he?"

Shuzo then looked to Yuya. "Only one of the most powerful Pro Duelists in the history of Dueling! He was a reigning champion, undefeated to all challengers! The tamer of the legendary Blue-eyes cards!"

Takumi just nodded. "Yep. Sounds like him. Hehe. In fact, he's the one who recommended I come to Maiami." 'Though maybe I should keep quiet about beating him just a few weeks ago for now…'

Shuzo then had the biggest expression of shock so far, and couldn't even say anything. 'Such an incredible duelist has enrolled at my school, and it's because of AKIHIRO SHIROKAWA!?'

Yuzu looked confused. "What do you mean by it was his idea?"

Takumi looked at her. "Oh. Well I had already decided it was time to leave town for a while, get better at dueling, but I hadn't had any idea where to start. When he found out, he recommended Maiami."

Yuya then seemed confused. "But what about your parents?"

"Don't have any."

As Takumi kept eating, completely unaffected by the question or his response, everyone else froze, with looks of shock on all of them.

Ayu, who was sitting next to him, asked the question that everyone wanted to know. "What… What do you mean by that?"

Takumi looked at her, saw her expression, then looked at everyone else and saw similar expressions on them. "Oh. Right. Sorry, I'm used to everyone already knowing." He put his utensils down, put his elbows on the table, interlocked his hands, and rested his head on them, looking at everyone with a neutral expression. "I'm an orphan. Never knew my parents. I was just left on the doorstep of the town orphanage, with a note that had my name on it. No one knows who they were or where they went." He then picked his arms off of the table and continued with a smile before anyone could say anything. "But before you guys start saying things like 'I'm sorry' or 'I didn't mean to make you bring that up', I've already moved on. Yes, there was a time when I desperately wanted to know who they were and why they gave me up, but I figured out that if I was going to get hung up on the past, then I wouldn't have a future of my own. Besides, I had people who practically were my family instead. Mrs. Hasegawa for example, the lady who ran the orphanage, gave me my first deck and this pendant." He held his pendant up to eye level. "I may not have parents, but I'm happy with the way my life turned out."

Yuya, Yuzu, and Sora looked at him impressed with his story and his outlook, while Shuzo and the kids were brought to tears.

Takumi decided it was time to change the subject. "So enough about that. Any more questions?"

Sora was the first to jump at the bait. "What kind of Fusions do you use."

Takumi grinned. "Well, I obviously use Winged Beast Fusion monsters. I'd show you one, but that would spoil the surprise for when we duel." Takumi ended with a smirk, and Sora calling him mean with a smirk of his own.

Now that everyone was feeling better, Yuya asked a question of his own. "So why did you decide to leave your home in the first place?"

"Oh. Well, I had nothing else to learn there, and I wound up feeling pretty restless about it. So when Mrs. Hasegawa suggested that I go out into the world, to become as good as I possibly could, I decided that I couldn't pass up on that chance. Besides, I still call back every now and then so she doesn't get too worried about me."

"Wait." Takumi looked to Shuzo. "How could you have nothing left to learn when you have someone like Akihiro back home?" 'Uh-oh' "I mean, the only way that he would be unable to teach anything more would be-" He then froze in mid-conversation, as the gears in his head started clicking together. Takumi, having learned by now, prepared to move his hands to his ears as fast as he could, while everyone else just looked at Shuzo in worry.

Whose face has just morphed into shock. "...D-don't tell me... You... Y-you managed to... to-"

"So anymore questions?!" Takumi quickly cut him off, trying to avoid any large displays in such a public setting.

Yuya looked back at Shuzo confused, then went back to Takumi. "So, where are you staying while in Maiami?"

Takumi blinked once, twice, three times. Then started chuckling and rubbing the back of his head nervously. 'Of all the questions he could of asked, why did it have to b something I didn't think of!?'

Yuzu opened her eyes wide at that. "Don't tell me… you didn't even think that far ahead?"

Takumi looked at her. "Okay, I won't." Then tried to smile innocently.

Neither she, or anyone else bought it. "Oi, Takumi."

"Hehehe, well like I said before, everyone tended to say I had a short attention span."

Yuzu let out a sigh at that, while the kids and Sora seemed amused at his antics.

Meanwhile, Yuya had a thought of his own. "How about you stay with me and my mom then? There's a guest room you could use."

Takumi smiled at Yuya. "For real? Sure!" 'This is awesome! First, I started the day with an awesome combo on my first turn in a duel, then I made some friends and joined a duel school that's about making people smile, then gained a new means of summoning, and now one of my new friends is willing to let me stay at their place!? And this is only the first day!'

With that settled, they continued their game of 20 questions as they ate. Unfortunately, he was unable to deflect Shuzo's questions forever. Luckily, he managed to cover his ears in time to suppress the volume of everyone's shock. Upside, Takumi got to see a LOT of spit-takes that occurred around the restaurant from everyone's shock. Downside, they were reprimanded by the staff. Least they didn't kick them out. Takumi was loving the food here!

After dinner, with a promise to duel Sora as soon as possible, everyone began to head home, with Takumi following Yuya. On the way out, Takumi remembered something that had crossed his mind.

"Hey Yuya, how long have you and Yuzu been dating?" Takumi heard a crash, and looked to see Yuya had fallen to the ground. When he lifted his face, it was a bright pink.

"WHA- WHA- WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?"

"Huh? You mean you guys aren't dating?"

"NO! WE'RE JUST FRIENDS!" His face had regained some of his normal color as he was getting up.

Takumi had a new thought, and smirked at him. "Oh really? Then if you're just friends, why are you so embarrassed? Hmmmmm?"

At that, Yuya stopped all motion, red covering his face to match his hair to the point that Takumi thought his head could have turned completely into a giant tomato and look the same. "I-I-I-IT JUST IS!" With that, he started moving again at a jog. Takumi laughed at that, and quickly ran after him. 'Oh, this will be fun. Though, I'm not sure I feel brave enough to do that to Yuzu… At least not yet.' Takumi quickly shook the thought of her more annoyed than ever, threatening his life with that seemingly magic paper fan. 'I hope that doesn't give me nightmares…'

* * *

[the next day]

Surprisingly, he was nightmare free. As Takumi sat up and stretched in the bed he was lent, looking around the guest room. It was a simple setup, enough for him to be happy with. Bed, window, dresser, desk, desktop lamp, nightstand, all the things he had back home.

Takumi got up, changed out of his pajamas and into his usual outfit, grabbed his deck and disk, and walked out of the second floor guest room. He loved the fact that Yuya got to slid down a pole every morning!

What greeted him as he approached the first floor was a small battalion of cats and dogs, putting a massive smile on Takumi's face as he went to pet them. Takumi loved animals, and was ecstatic at seeing how many Yuya had last night. That was another reason he rushed to help Hina all those years ago.

"I see someone's up. How'd you sleep?" Takumi looked over to the source of the voice to see a blonde woman making pancakes in the kitchen.

"Like a baby Ms. Sakaki!" Takumi responded to Yuya's mother, Yoko, whom he met last night, as he scratched the chin of one of the cats.

Yoko smiled at that. "Well that's good. And please, call me Yoko. Breakfast should be ready in a little while. Go be a dear and make sure Yuya's up will ya?"

"Yes ma'am!" Takumi gave the animals a few more moments of petting, before he went up to Yuya's room and knocked. "Yuya? It's Takumi. You up?" After not getting a response, "I'm coming in."

Takumi saw Yuya on his bed, snoring, and thought of a way to quickly wake him up.

Then he put on another evil smirk, and walked up to Yuya, putting his head near Yuya's ear, and spoke softly.

"Yuya, Yuzu's about to kiss some random guy!" He said this quietly, but with the effect he got, he may as well have used an air horn.

"YUZUUU!" Yuya sat up faster than one could blink. When he noticed where he was, he blinked, looked around, saw Takumi trying very hard not to laugh, and quickly realized what just happened. "Oi, Takumi!"

That got a few laughs out of Takumi. "Haha, sorry, sorry. In my defense, your mom asked me to make sure you were out of bed, and you didn't answer when I knocked." He then put a hand on Yuya's shoulder. "Think of it this way. The earlier you can get up, the less likely I'll get to do things like that."

Takumi watched Yuya's face redden once again, chuckled, and turned to leave. "I'll leave you to get changed. Yoko says breakfast is almost ready."

At breakfast, Takumi could only think that Yoko's pancakes were divine! The only person he thought could make pancakes this good was Mrs. Hasegawa! When they were done eating, Yoko looked to Takumi. "So, Takumi. What are you doing about school? And I don't mean duel school."

Takumi carried his dishes to the sink. "My teacher back home has been emailing me through my duel disk some paperwork I can submit to help me keep up with my classes. I work on them before bed." He checked his email through the disk. "Doesn't look like I have anything new."

Yuya grabbed his own things and went to the door. "Lucky you. I still have to go to my classes. See you at You Show Takumi?"

Takumi waved a hand to Yuya. "Sure thing. Try not to get bored to death, and stay on Yuzu's good side!" Yuya blushed a little, remembering the teasing, before he waved a hand back and left. Takumi then got up from the table. "Alright. I'm gonna go explore the city. See ya later Yoko!" "Bye Takumi. Be safe."

Takumi wandered around the city for a while, seeing the skyscraper labeled "LDS". 'Wonder what that stands for… Oh well.' Takumi walked on, eventually finding himself at the park. "Hm? How'd I get here? Oh well." Takumi looked at a tree with some sturdy looking lower branches and worked his way to them. Once he found a comfortable spot, he just lay back, feet against the trunk, and enjoyed the sounds around him. He just lay there for a few hours relaxing. He was surprised how quiet the city was ri-

A rustle above him caught his attention and he opened his eyes looking up.

"Yo!" Sora was sitting there, hanging by his legs, on a higher branch, lollipop sticking out of his mouth.

"Yo! I see you like climbing trees too." Takumi just grinned at him, not concerned at all about the 3 ft vertical difference between their faces, nor wondering why Sora wasn't in school like the others.

"Yup! It's so much fun!" Sora climbed up onto his branch and hopped around until he was at the branch next to Takumi, revealing skill that Takumi rarely sees in people around their age, and grinned at him. "So, wanna duel now?"

Takumi smiled. "Don't see why not. Duel in the park?"

"Yeah!"

Takumi and Sora hopped out of the tree and found a clearing they could use and prepped their duel disks. "Alright Sora, I won't keep you waiting anymore. Show me what an 'expert of Fusion' is capable of!"

Sora grinned at that. "You bet!"

[Meanwhile; LDS]

"Sir. We've detected duel disk activation for Takumi Shou."

Reiji looked up from the tablet he was holding. "Get me a visual."

[Park]

DUEL!

Sora: 4000

Takumi: 4000

"You start things off Takumi, since you were finally nice enough to let me duel you."

"Why thank you. I'll start by playing my Protector of the Trinity in Defense mode, and equipping him with the Union monster Spirit Wing in my hand." Protector landed with shield ready and Spirit appeared before becoming light to cover Protector. "I end my turn. Your move."

"Thanks. I draw. I activate Toy Vendor!" A large toy dispenser appeared behind Sora. "Once per turn, this lets me discard 1 card, then draw one card. If it's a level 4 or lower monster, I can special summon it. Anything else gets discarded. I don't need this." As Sora continued playfully, a coin appeared and went into the vendor. "Draw! Ah, lucky! Fluffal Leo!" The monster that was dispensed from the vendor was an oversized stuffed animal you might win as a carnival prize. "Then I summon, Fluffal Dog!" And next to the lion appeared a stuffed dog of a similar size. "When summoned, I can use its effect to add a monster to my hand." Sora pulled a card from his deck. "I choose Fluffal Bear!"

Takumi smiled at Sora's cards. "Haha. I'm sensing a theme with your deck. I like your cards."

Sora grinned. "Glad you think so. Now then, Fluffal Leo, attack Protector of the trinity! And when Leo attacks, it gains 500 ATK!" As Leo started running towards Protector, it let out a cry as it grew stronger.

1600 - 2100

But Takumi just smiled and watched, as Leo hit Protector's shield and bounced right off.

"Eh? Protector should be gone now!"

Takumi grinned then. "Normally yes, if it was in Attack mode. But so long as he's in Defense mode, he can't be destroyed in battle."

"Eh!? No fair!"

"Haha, sorry."

Sora pouted at that. "Hmph. Alrighty then, I play a face-down and end my turn."

2100 - 1600

"Okay, my turn. I draw!" Takumi looked at his cards and smiled. "Alright Sora! Looks like you get to see my Fusion! First, I special summon the Spirit wing on my field in attack position." The light that surrounded Protector turn back into Takumi's white bird. "Now I play Polymerization! I fuse Spirit Wing with the Shield Wing and Vanguard in my hand!" As Takumi's other monsters appeared, they flew up with Spirit Wing into a vortex.

" _Warrior of the tribal avians, join with the winged protectors of light and sky. Combine your powers as one, and unleash the wings of unity! Fusion Summon! Appear, level 6! Mythic Wing Unum!"_

As Takumi's bird appeared, it's wings quickly turned from 2 to 6. "Unum gains 200 ATK and DEF for each Fusion material."

1200 - 1800

"Also, I can resurrect Winged Beast's whose combined levels equal no more than 4. I choose to bring back Vanguard!" A portal opened, releasing Vanguard.

"Oh! Awesome! You really can use Fusion!"

"You haven't seen nothing yet." At Sora's confused look, Takumi just kept grinning. "I activate Fusion Recovery! With this, I return Spirit Wing and Polymerization to my hand. I now use Polymerization on my Vanguard and Protector!" Takumi then sent both of his pendulum monsters to his extra deck like Yuya showed him, and his monsters flew into another vortex.

" _Warrior and defender of the tribal avians, unite your powers, and let the energies formed from your bonds protect and bolster the tribe! Fusion Summon! Appear!_ _ **Mystic Raptor of the Trinity!**_ _"_

From the vortex came a falcon the size of Unum, with red feathers, orange eyes, and a ruby set on its forehead, taking its place besides Unum.

 **Mystic Raptor of the Trinity: Fusion/Winged Beast/Fire/lvl6**

 **ATK: 2000 DEF: 2000**

"Woah! You're able to use multiple Fusions in the same turn! Yuzu wasn't kidding when she talked about what you could do."

"Thanks. Now then, I activate the effect of the Spirit wing in my hand once again! Help out Mystic!" Spirit Wing once again appeared, this time protecting Raptor. "Now, battle! Mythic Wing Unum! Attack Sora's Leo! Spiral Wing Strike!" Unum flew up, and took aim at Sora's monster.

"Trap activate! Punch-in-the-Box!" A jack-in-the-box appeared in front of Sora, and a fist came flying out, interrupting Unum's attack. "I can now negate your attack, then send another monster you control to the graveyard and reduce the ATK of the first monster by either the ATK or DEF of the sent monster, whichever is higher. Say goodbye to your Raptor!" The fist then opened up and reached for Raptor…

Only for it to be deflected by the light surrounding it. "You may have stopped Unum, but so long as Raptor has Spirit Wing attached to him, it is immune to all your card effects." As Unum took its place next to Takumi, Sora let out a sound of disbelief. "Alright. Guess its Mystic's turn. Attack Leo with Sacred Strike!"

Red energy flowed from the ruby on its head and enveloped Mystic Raptor, as it flew up and dive bombed at the defenseless monster.

4000 - 3600

"I end my turn. Your move Sora!"

Sora looked at Takumi smiling. "Hehe, not bad Takumi. You're even better than I thought. But I'm an expert, so don't go getting ahead of yourself. I draw!" Sora looked at his card and smirked. "I activate the effect of my Toy Vendor! I discard a card to draw a new card." Another coin entered the machine as Sora drew a card. "Yes! I summon Edge Imp Sabres!" Sora's latest monster looked like something out of a child's nightmare! "Next, I play Polymerization! I fuse the Edge Imp Sabres on my field with the Fluffal Bear in my hand." As Sora's carnival toy bear appeared, it flew into a vortex with Sabres.

[Meanwhile, LDS]

"Sir! We've detected high levels of Fusion! They match the previous readings." One of the control room's operators quickly got Reiji's attention.

"I see..." 'So... He might be from Academia...'

[Back at the duel]

" _Claws of the Demon! Fangs of the Beast! Become one and reveal a new form and power! Fusion Summon! Appear, Horrifying beast that shreds everything! Frightfur Bear!"_

'Okay, scratch what I thought before. THIS is a monster that comes from a child's nightmares.' Takumi's views on Sora's deck were shattered as he looked upon the massive form of Sora's fusion monster.

"Frightfur Bear! Attack Unum! Pummeling Paw!" Sora's Bear practically threw its extending arm at Unum, knocking it into a nearby tree.

"Unum!"

Takumi: 4000 - 3600

"Now Bear's effect activates! I can equip him with the destroyed monster, and increase his ATK points by that of the equipped monster!" Bear's arm reached over to the battered Unum, picked it and brought it over to it. Takumi watched, horrified, as Frightfur Bear ATE Unum and proceeded to increase in size.

2200 - 3400

"Wha-wha-WHAT!? NO! UNUM!" 'Yup, definitely a nightmare.'

Sora smirked at him. "Sorry, but my bear has a big appetite. I end my turn by switching my dog to Defense Mode. Your turn."

Takumi looked at the monstrosity before him, not moving an inch.

Sora seemed amused by Takumi's expression. "What's the matter? Aren't you gonna duel? Or has my monster scared you into submission?"

"… This… This is… This is exactly what I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!"

"Eh?" Sora looked dumbstruck and confused at Takumi, who now looks a combination of terrified and excited.

"Back home, there was nothing left to push me forward, to help make me into a stronger version of myself. But ever since I made it here, it's been nothing but new experiences at every corner!" As Takumi went on, no one noticed how a part of his pendant began to glow a soft red, nor the light that started to shine from his Extra Deck. "And now this! I have no idea what I'll do next to counteract a monster like that! Guess the only way to find out what, is to have faith in my deck and see what I draw next! Right, Sora!"

Sora's confusion quickly turned to excitement at Takumi's demeanor. "Yeah! That's exactly right! So come on! Show me how you can possibly take on my beast of a monster!"

Takumi grinned at that. "Gladly! I, DRAW!" As Takumi drew his card, the ruby corner of his pendant shined even brighter, with one of his extra Deck Cards shining a bright red, filling Takumi's head with a vision.

A dying, decrepit forest, with signs of battle and death all around.  
At the base of one of the trees, a wounded soldier leaned against it, clutching one of his arms.  
Suddenly, one of the dead trees bursts into flames, with a wave of fire spreading outwards.  
The bonfire remains in place, as the flames spread out as an ever-growing circle.  
Everywhere the flame passes, new plant life blooms and grows from the cleansed soil.  
As they washed over the soldier, his wounds had healed, remaining completely unburned, and he was able to stand in awe of the pyre.  
And all the while, from within the flames, deep red eyes peer out at him.

As the vision ended and the light died, Takumi blinked, and looked at the card he drew. 'What was that?' He then herd a call and checked the status of his Extra Deck, causing a massive grin to appear on his face. 'THAT WAS YOU! So, I guess that was your way of telling me to use you, huh?' As he thought this, he saw the eyes of his new monster glow for a few seconds while hearing another call, before returning to normal. 'I'll take that as a yes!'

Takumi grinned at Sora. "Alright Sora! Get ready to meet a monster unlike anything you have ever seen! But first, to set the stage. I activate the effect of Mystic Raptor! Ruby Resurgence!" Raptor's gem glowed red once more, but this time the energy arced into the ground in front of it. "Because at least one of its Fusion materials was a FIRE monster, I can use this effect. Once per turn, I can special summon 1 Winged Beast-type monster in the graveyard or face-up in my Extra Deck. So come on back, Vanguard!"

Vanguard burst free from the ground, surrounded by red light. "Also, I can increase my life points by half of either its ATK or DEF, whichever is higher, plus its level x100. But alternatively, I can deal the same amount to you as damage. Vanguard has 1800 ATK, and is a level 4 monster. So I'll hit your life points for 1300!" The energy surrounding Vanguard then exploded outwards, enveloping Sora with some discomfort.

Sora: 3600 - 2300

"Next, I once again turn Spirit Wing back into a monster!" Spirit Wing gathered itself from around Raptor and coalesced once again. "And now, the Feather Fusion spell card! With it, I fuse my Spirit Wing, Vanguard, and Raptor!"

Sora was surprised at this development. "Your fusing your Fusion!?" 'I didn't think there was anyone here who would do that!' Sora watched curiously as Takumi's monsters flew into the vortex.

[Once more, LDS]

"Sir, more high levels of Fusion energy detected!"

"Where are they?"

"…! Sir… We're already looking at it!" The response caused Reiji to widen his eyes momentarily, before narrowing them even further as he continued to watch the duel.

[Duel]

" _Warrior of the tribal avians, winged protector of light, mystic bird of divine origins. Let the flames of passion burn within your hearts, and give rise to the eternal inferno of life! Fusion Summon! Emerge from the flames, the symbol of my hope!_ _ **Heart of the Trinity, Aka-Ho!**_ _"_

Behind him, flames burst into existence where the vortex once was, creating a pillar of flame. A shadow appeared within those flames, spreading its wings to dissipate them with a loud cry. In the place of the flames there was a large red bird the size of Blue-eyes, with deep red eyes, and long red tail feathers shaped like a ribbon (like the tail feathers of Articuno from pokemon). Its talons were ruby, the outer 2/3rds of its wing feathers go from being red feathers to also being made from ruby, and on top of its head was a ruby crown. In the middle of said crown, a small fire burned.

 **Heart of the Trinity, Aka-Ho: Fusion/Winged Beast/Fire/lvl9**

 **ATK: 2400 DEF:2400**

Sora could only stare in awe of the incredible Fusion monster, the mere sight of it projecting an aura of life. 'In all my time in the Fusion dimension, not one monster has ever made me feel like this!'

Takumi smiled in wonder at his newest ally, before looking back at Sora. "Thanks to the effect of Feather Fusion, Aka-Ho gains 200 ATK and DEF for each of its Winged Beast-type fusion materials."

2400 - 3000

Sora snapped out of his reverie at the power-up, but stayed calm. "I'll admit your monster is impressive, but it isn't strong enough to challenge my bear."

"Wanna bet? I activate Aka-Ho's effect! Wildfire Rebirth!" Aka-Ho's rubies glowed brightly as it waved its wings back and forth, throwing flames in every direction. "When Aka-Ho is summoned, it destroys every spell and trap currently on the field!"

"What!?" As the flames reached Sora's side of the field, they caught onto Frightfur Bear and Toy Vendor. As the Vendor melted, Bear coughed up a burning Unum, destroying both and weakening Bear.

3400 - 2200

"That's not all! For every card I destroyed, I can special summon 1 level 4 or lower monster from either the graveyard, or face-up from the Extra Deck. I'll bring back Protector and Vanguard!" From the ashes of Sora's cards, red energy flowed up and gathered onto Takumi's field, forming back into his monsters. Protector was in Defense Mode, and Vanguard in ATK Mode. "The only downside, is that the monsters summoned this way cannot attack during the turn they are summoned."

Sora was starting to feel worried. Takumi had an impressive lineup of monsters on his field, while Sora's was severely weakened.

"Next, I play Vanguard's effect, and transfer half of his ATK points to Aka-Ho!" Vanguard raised its spear with a war cry, getting Aka-Ho to respond in kind.

1800 - 900

3000 - 3900

"That looks pretty good. Battle! Aka-Ho, attack Frightfur Bear! Cleansing Blaze!" Aka-Ho's rubies glowed, as balls of fire formed around it. With a cry, it launched the fireballs straight at the scared Fusion monster. As they collided with Sora's monster, he got knocked back, sending the candy in his mouth off and away.

"Gaaaargh!"

Sora: 2300 - 600

As Sora stood himself up, Takumi just kept smiling at what his monster could do. "You alright Sora? Sorry, this guy's a little new." Aka-Ho looked at him and gave a low cry, getting his attention. "Hm? No, no, I don't have a problem at all. Just gotta get used to working with you, okay?" After seemingly appeasing his monster, they both looked back at the sound of laughing.

"Hahaha, HAHAHAHAA! Incredible! Your Fusion is above and beyond what I was expecting from you! But you know…" Sora got another candy out and stuck it in his mouth. "That just makes me want to beat it even more!"

Takumi just smiled. "Well if you think you can get rid of it, then go ahead and try! I end my turn, returning my monsters' ATKs to normal."

3900 - 2400

900 - 1800

"Why thank you very much. I draw! Now I can play the spell card, Frightfur Reborn! With this, I can resurrect my Frightfur Bear!" Bear then clawed its way out of the ground, looking at Aka-Ho like it wanted revenge.

"Next, I play my own Fusion Recovery, and reclaim Polymerization and Edge Imp Sabres. You know what's next right? I now use Polymerization to fuse the Edge Imp Sabres in my hand with the Fluffal Dog on my field!

 _Claws of the demon! Fangs of the Beast! Become one and reveal a new form and power! Fusion Summon! Appear, mystical beast of the jungle who tears all to shreds! Frightfur Tiger!"_

'Aaaand now there's two of em. Sora doesn't seem quite as sweet as I first thought, does he?' As Takumi looked at the children nightmares, he couldn't help but think how much Sora must like Horror movies.

"Tiger's effect! For each of its Fusion materials, I can destroy 1 card on the field. Say goodbye to Aka-Ho and Protector!" The scissors in Tiger's torso elongated and reached toward Takumi's monsters, causing Takumi to watch in shock as they quickly cut them in half!

"Furthermore, for every Frightfur monster I control, my monsters gain 300 ATK points!"

2200 - 2800

1900 - 2500

"Now! Frightfur Tiger! Attack Takumi's Vanguard!" Tiger then ran at Vanguard and leapt on top of it, destroying it.

Takumi: 3600 - 2900

"And now, Frightfur Bear! Get your revenge with Pummeling Paw!" Bear attacked, once again shooting its limb at its target. The difference this time, the target was Takumi.

"GAAAAAARGH!"

Takumi: 2900 - 100

As Takumi stood himself up, he just kept grinning at Sora's monsters, leaving Sora confused. "Oi, you sure you aren't too scared to keep going? Most of my opponents are when they see two of my Fusion monsters at once."

Takumi just straightened out. "Of course I'm scared of them. They're incredibly tough, despite being made from toys. But that's just it. You see, Mrs. Hasegawa taught me a lot of things. One of those, was that fear has 2 meanings." He held up a finger. "Meaning number 1: **F** orget **E** verything **a** nd **R** un." He then held up a second finger. "And meaning number 2:" He then closed his hand into a fist. " **F** ace **E** verything **a** nd **R** ise!"

Sora just blinked dumbly at that, unable to come up with a response. He then closed his eyes, smirked, and shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, you got me there. So, I guess I'll end my turn. You better make your next turn count, because there won't be another."

Takumi just kept grinning. "I already have! I draw!" As he drew his card, the field started having small fires appear here and there, each about the size of a typical campfire. Sora watched on confused as one by one, the flames leapt up and towards the center of the field, where they began to gather into a bonfire.

"During my Standby Phase, if Aka-Ho is on the field OR in the graveyard, I can banish up to 3 spell or trap cards from the graveyard." He then removed Polymerization, Fusion Recovery, and Feather Fusion. "And for each one I burn up, I can summon 1 Winged Beast-type monster from my graveyard or face-up in my Extra Deck!"

"WHAT!?"

"Sorry Sora, but if you really wanted to get rid of Aka-Ho, you should have tried to banish it. Be reborn from the ashes! Vanguard of the Trinity! Mystic Raptor of the Trinity! And the symbol of my hope, Heart of the Trinity, Aka-Ho!" One by one his monsters appeared from the bonfire, Aka-Ho bursting those flames apart as it appeared once more cry a cry.

"Now, since Mystic Raptor was summoned outside of Fusion, his effect activates. For every other Winged Beast-type monster I control, I can destroy 1 card on the field!"

"But that means...!" As Sora watched on, the gem on Raptor's forehead glowed red, and 2 orbs of energy formed next to it.

"That's right Sora. Go! Crimson Catastrophe!" With a cry, Raptor sent the orbs at Sora's monsters, destroying them instantly. "Looks like your wide open, so let's finish this! Aka-Ho! Attack with Cleansing Blaze!" Once again, a large number of fireballs formed around Aka-Ho, who then released them at an awestruck Sora.

"AAAAAARRGH!"

Sora: 600 - 0

Winner: Takumi

As the monsters faded away, Takumi looked at Aka-ho, who was looking back. "Thank you." It nodded back, before fading away with the rest. He then picked up his newest ally's card and admired it for a few seconds, before putting it away and going to check on Sora.

Who was sitting against a tree that he was thrown into after that last attack. "Haaah. I lost. To Fusion no less."

"So what?" Sora looked up and saw a smiling Takumi holding out a hand to him. "You really did have me a few times. If it weren't for Aka-Ho, I might not have won that. And either way, it was an awesome match!"

Sora just stared dumbly at him, then at his outstretched hand, before putting on a small smile, and grabbing it, letting Takumi pull him up. "I guess it was, wasn't it? You really are a pretty good duelist. But next time, I won't lose." Sora then pulled out a lollipop with a grin. "Want one?"

Takumi gave him a smile at the gesture. "Thanks." As he placed it in his mouth, his eyes began to shine and a massive smile appeared on his face. "YES! Blueberry! My favorite!"

"Hahaha! Good to know, haha." Sora had a good laugh at Takumi's expense, before he checked the time on his disk. "Oi, Takumi. You Show is gonna open up soon. We should head over." Takumi was just paying enough attention to Sora to nod his head and start following him.

[LDS]

Reiji looked over the recordings carefully. This was the first time Takumi gave off Fusion energy of this level, and it only happened when he played his latest Fusion monster. The earlier ones only gave off a similar amount to previous readings.

As Reiji looked through the footage, he caught sight of something that occurred just before he started summoning his 3rd Fusion monster. Zooming in, he saw the ruby tip of Takumi's pendant glowing, along with a similar glow coming from his Extra Deck. Hitting play, as the glow died down, he saw a flash of 'something' go through his eyes, before he went and looked through his Extra Deck, catching a look of surprised joy on his face.

Reiji paused the video and leaned back. Takumi not only dueled against a suspected agent of Fusion, but won. He could prove to be invaluable, if he proves cooperative. He'll need more data before he can decide how to proceed with him.

Reiji looked over at Nakajima. "Have those three be informed. They are to go interact with Takumi Shou. I need to learn more about him."

"Yes sir, I'll have them right on it."

* * *

The first piece of the Trinity has been acquired; The flames of hope, Aka-Ho! Hope you guys like him... Pun not intended. Also, the definition of fear does not belong to me. I saw it as an internet meme and it has stuck with me ever since. That said, it really is a pretty good lesson to learn. If you never struggle, you never grow.

Next time, Takumi meets the LDS Trio! Thanks again for reading, let me know what you think!

 **OC cards**

 **Mystic Raptor of the Trinity** : Fusion/Winged Beast/Fire/lvl6

ATK: 2000 DEF: 2000

1 Winged Beast-type "Trinity" monster and 1 Winged Beast-type monster

If this card is summoned (except by Fusion), you can destroy 1 card on the field for every other Winged Beast-type monster you control. If you used 1 or more FIRE monster(s) as Fusion materials in this card's summon, this card gains the following effect:

Once per turn, you can target a winged Beast-type monster that is in the graveyard or face-up in the Extra Deck; Special summon it and increase your life points equal to its level x100 or Rank x200 plus half that monster's ATK or DEF, (whichever is higher) OR deal damage to your opponent's life points by the same amount. This card and the summoned monster cannot attack during the turn you use this effect.

 **Heart of the Trinity, Aka-Ho** : Fusion/Winged Beast/Fire/lvl9

ATK: 2400 DEF:2400

3 Winged Beast-Type monsters

When this card is summoned (except by its own effect), destroy all spell and traps on the field, and for each one destroyed, you can special summon 1 level 4 or lower monster from the graveyard. Monsters summoned this way cannot attack during the turn they are summoned. During your Standby Phase, if this card is on the field, or in the graveyard you can banish up to 3 spell or trap cards from any graveyard; special summon 1 Winged Beast-Type monster in the graveyard, or face-up in the Extra Deck for each card banished.


	5. Against the odds

A/N: Before you start reading I just want to remind everyone that my chapters are only coming out so fast because I had been typing out the first six chapters so that I had an idea of how I wanted the story to go before I started posting. So after the next one, my updates will be a lot less frequent than they have been. That said, I have been getting a lot of ideas and do know what I want to have happen from here. Now then. Please enjoy the chapter.

I own nothing but my OC characters and cards

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

 _"Summon chant/whispering"_

 **OC card first appearance**

Vision/message

* * *

Sora lead Takumi back to You Show, but not without trying to have some fun with him. While Takumi was enjoying the lollipop he gave him, Sora thought it might be interesting to see what would happen if he used his agility to his advantage and leave Takumi's sight.

Sora then moved like a ninja to a tree on the side of the street and hopped into its branches, looking to see what Takumi would do.

Only to see nothing where he was. Confused, Sora looked around for him, before hearing a noise right behind him in the tree. Sora turned around, to see Takumi there still sucking the candy, blissful look still on his face.

Shocked, Sora nearly fell out of the tree, before recovering himself with a smirk on his face. 'This could be fun!'

And that was how Sora and Takumi spent the way back to You Show, Sora taking as elaborate a route as possible, and Takumi subconsciously following with the same level of ability as Sora. They had climbed fire escapes, ran along the tops of fences, jumped from tree to tree and rooftop to rooftop, overall making parkour experts looking like amateurs. After a few minutes, Takumi had finished his candy and was going along with Sora's game willingly. It was the first time he had met someone who had his level of dexterity, and he was more than willing to accept this challenge. He was even able to get ahead of Sora and make some challenges of his own, which Sora took on with a grin.

By the time they had made it back to You Show, both had picked up a light sweat at how much they had done, trying to one up each other in skill, only for the other to perfectly match what they had done and keep up with them.

Sora looked at Takumi, disbelief that some random kid from Standard was able to keep up with his training. Takumi looked back, not used to meeting someone able to keep up with his natural reflexes with such ease.

They both smirked and bumped fists. "Don't get too comfortable Takumi. Next time, I won't just beat you when it comes to dexterity, but I will crush you next time we duel!"

"Glad to hear it Sora! I'll take every opportunity to make myself even greater than I was the day before!"

They both laughed at that, and walked into You Show.

Where Takumi saw a mountain of a man standing in the room, a red headband sitting on his forehead, the ends of which trailing behind him. 'Woah. He's as big as that Gen fellow. Is he here to cause trouble too?' "Ah, Gongenzaka!" 'Oh, maybe not.'

The now named Gongenzaka looked at Sora and gave a smile. "Oh, Sora. Good to see you're here. Yuya and Yuzu haven't arrived yet." Gongenzaka looked at Takumi appraisingly. "And who might this be?"

Takumi, deciding that he wasn't a threat, walked up to Gongenzaka and held out a hand. "Hi. I'm Takumi Shou, new student of You Show Duel School. Nice to meet you!"

Gongenzaka smiled and gripped his hand. 'Woah, big guy is DEFINITELY strong!' "I am Noboru Gongenzaka. Pleased to meet you." He crossed his arms as he looked at him. "So, when did you join up?"

"Just yesterday. They decided to induct me with a duel and dinner. Pasta is delicious!" As he wrapped up his sentence, a far-away look appeared in his eyes as he remembered the taste of the Italian cuisine, but he soon snapped out of it when he remembered what he was doing. "So, I'm guessing you don't go here? No offense, but you don't look like someone who would be an entertainment duelist."

He grinned at that. "Correct. Rather, I'm trained in the Gongenzaka Dojo's art of Steadfast Dueling, where we duel without giving an inch of ground to our opponents. We won't even move to take an Action card with this style."

"Wow. There really are a lot of different styles out there. To not even go for Action cards would typically put someone at a great disadvantage. You must be pretty good if you don't rely on them in a duel."

"It isn't just that." Takumi looked at Sora. "Gongenzaka's deck consists of only monsters!"

Takumi's eyes widened at that. "Eh?" He then looked back at Gongenzaka. "REALLY!?" Gongenzaka only nodded at that. Takumi could only smile at that. "No way! Someone who only duels with monsters!? I'm convinced, you HAVE to be an amazing duelist to use a deck like that effectively!"

Gongenzaka gave a heartfelt laugh at that and placed a hand roughly on Takumi's shoulder. "HAHAHAA! Good, good! A real man can admire the abilities of others! I like you!" Takumi could only smile back and laugh with him, while Sora watched amused.

They were still laughing when Yuya, Yuzu, and the kids walked in. "We're here. Oh, Gongenzaka! I guess you met Takumi."

At that, Gongenzaka and Takumi finally stopped laughing completely. "Yes, I am glad to meet such a manly duelist! I am also happy to see he is going to You Show." Takumi could only rub the back of his head chuckling, embarrassed at the praise.

"As are we. I'm still surprised at how good he is." Yuya's words got the kids excited.

"Taku-nii's monsters are amazing!" "His skills as a duelist are awesome!" "His dueling gives me incredible Shivers!"

Gongenzaka looked back at Takumi. "Oooh, good enough for Yuya to praise your skill. You must be quite the duelist."

"He sure is!" Everyone looked over to Sora. "He and I had a duel earlier, and his Fusions knocked mine out of the water!"

"Eh!?" Everyone looked over at the embarrassed Takumi. Gongenzaka walked back up to him. "Takumi, you can use Fusion? Better than Sora?!"

"Not just that." He then looked over at Yuzu. "He can also use Synchro and Xyz."

Yuya picked up from there. "He even somehow has Pendulum Summoning!"

"WHAAAAAAAT!?" The very manly shout had Takumi wishing once again that he had some sort of earplugs with all the freaking out everyone has been doing around him. When he opened his eyes again, Gongenzaka was inches from his face. "HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!? THE ONLY PERSON BESIDES YUYA WITH PENDULUM CARDS WAS REIJI AKABA! It couldn't be…" An angry look then appeared on his face. "Are you some sort of spy for LDS!? EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"

Takumi could only look on in shock. 'How? How does someone as friendly as Yuya have such dangerous individuals as friends?! Who is Reiji? What's LDS? WHAT'S HAPPENING?!'

"Oi, Gongenzaka, enough. He explained as best he could last night at dinner!" At Yuya's pleas, Gongenzaka seemed to calm down. "He doesn't know how he got the Pendulum cards." Meanwhile, the kids and Sora were watching amused at Takumi's predicament.

Gongenzaka looked at Yuya in surprise. "I see…" He then looked back at Takumi, who still hadn't moved an inch or said a thing. Next thing Takumi knew, Gongenzaka was on his hands and knees before him. "FORGIVE ME! I, the man Gongenzaka, have said something unforgivable to you, who did nothing to deserve it!"

Takumi had no idea how to process what was going on. So, his brain defaulted to the usual thing he would do in a situation like this.

"… Pft… Pffft…. Pwuaahahahaha!" As Takumi kept on laughing, Gongenzaka looked up at him, just as everyone else was. "Hahaha, sorry, sorry, I just couldn't help it! HAHAHA! Haha, ha, haaaaa..." As he managed to calm himself down, he held out a hand to Gongenzaka with a smile. "It's alright, I forgive you. I was just surprised is all. Trust me, it'll take a lot more than that to me angry."

Gongenzaka just looked at the offered hand, looked up at Takumi, and manly tears began to form in his eyes. He quickly took the hand, pulled himself up, and enveloped Takumi in a massive bear hug. "THANK YOU VERY MUCH! YOUR KINDNESS REDUCES ME, THE MAN GONGENZAKA, TO TEARS!"

Gongenzaka, crying very manly tears, doesn't notice Takumi having trouble breathing. 'Too… Strong… Can't… Breathe…' As everyone was looking on amused, Gongenzaka finally released him and rubbed at his eyes, giving Takumi the chance to take some VERY deep breathes.

"So, Gongenzaka, how are you doing about getting qualified?" Yuya asked him the question, while Takumi looked on confused.

"I am getting there. Make no mistake, I will get entered. No need for you to concern yourself over me. What about yourself?"

"Nico is getting some duels ready for me so I can participate. I only need a few more wins."

Takumi just looked back and forth between the 2. "Qualified? Entered? Can someone please explain what's happening this time?"

Everyone just looked at him, Yuya being the first to answer. "Takumi, you don't know about the championship do you?"

"What championship!? I only got into town yesterday, how can I know anything if no one tells me!?"

Yuzu picked up from there. "The Maiami Championship. A tournament sponsored by the Leo Corporation. For many people, taking part in the tournament is the first step in becoming a pro-duelist."

"Wait what!? There's something like that going on!? AND NONE OF YOU TOLD ME BEFORE NOW!?" Takumi couldn't contain his energy even if he wanted to, not after hearing about something like this. "What'sneededinordertotakepartandwhendoesitstart!?" His rapid fire question caught everyone off guard as they tried to piece together what he just said.

Yuya was the first to answer. "Uh, at least 50 official duels with a minimum 60%-win ratio within a year, or a 6-win streak in official duels, and it starts up in a little less than 2 weeks."

Hearing that, Takumi quickly checked his disk for his win ratio, and gave out a loud cheer. "YES! I CAN BE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!"

"Oh, what's your ratio?" Sora tried to read the disk on Takumi's flailing arm, but could barely make out anything.

Takumi managed to calm himself down enough to tell them with a massive grin. "74 official duels with an 84%-win rate, currently sitting on a 13-winning streak!" The Yuya, Yuzu, and Gongenzaka dropped at that info. The kids were awestruck at Takumi's skill in dueling to get him that far.

Sora just whistled, impressed with the stats. "Wow. You're good to go no matter what. Glad I kept my disk in practice mode earlier. I'm still working on finishing my own 6-win streak so I can join up. Speaking of which, come on Yuzu! We should get going." Sora started walking out, grabbing Yuzu on the way.

"Eh? Ah, right! See you guys later!" Takumi just stared dumbly at the door, then back at the still frozen figures of Yuya and Gongenzaka.

"Are you guys just gonna stand there, or do you like to eat flies?"

That managed to snap them out of it. "Right, sorry Takumi. But how do you have a ratio that big!?"

Takumi just shrugged. "Well, I already did a lot of dueling back home. The few losses I have are mostly from Akihiro beating me during his 'teachings' and other ex/retired pros that showed me a few things, but a little while before I decided to leave, the town was having its own tournament for the fun of it. A few days after I won that, I left town and hit the road. Along the way here I ran into some more duelists that were pretty good themselves, and now here we are. Any questions?"

"Ehhh. So that explains that."

"Yup. And now I understand why you didn't want to have an official duel before. Good thing too from the looks of things."

"Haha, yeah, that would have set me back."

Gongenzaka looked between the two. "Hm? Yuya, you were the one he dueled yesterday? And he beat you!?"

Yuya and Takumi looked at each other, then back at Gongenzaka with a nervous chuckle.

Gongenzaka blinked twice at that, then started laughing. "Hahaha! Takumi! You are full of surprises!" He held out a hand to him. "I hope that we get the chance to compete with each other in the championship."

Takumi then smiled and quickly took the hand. "Likewise! I can't wait to see the things your deck must be capable of!"

Gongenzaka nodded at that, then looked at the both of them. "Well, I should be off. I only came to check how you were doing, and I'm glad to see it's going okay. Farewell for now, Yuya, Takumi."

"See ya later, Gongenzaka!"

"Good luck qualifying!"

As Gongenzaka left, Takumi turned to Yuya. "So, where did Sora drag Yuzu off to?"

"Hm? Oh. She's been following him around as he builds up his 6-win streak for participation. He's also been using the time to show her how to Fusion summon."

"Oh. Okay then." At that moment, a knock was heard.

Yuya went to the door to reveal a man with orange glasses, a smile worthy of Takumi's respect, and a suit with a LOT of yellow and black. "Hello Yuya! I have another match ready for you! Here is the address, be there soon!" The man had slipped Yuya a piece of paper and left faster than Takumi could blink.

"… What… Just happened?"

"Haha. Sorry. That was Nico Smiley. He's being kind enough to help me complete my win ratio before the championship. Looks like I have another match soon. Wanna come watch?"

"Hmmm… I think I'll pass." "Eeeeehhhh?!" The surprised sounds from the kids had Takumi feeling slightly remorseful. "Sorry guys, but even if Yuya wins, there might be a chance they'll be a possible opponent for me in the Championship. I don't like to have too much information on my opponents beforehand. I think I'll just go back to wandering around the city if no one's gonna be here."

"Alright. Don't get into trouble."

"Sure."

With that, Takumi and left the school and went in different directions.

* * *

After about an hour of taking in the sights, Takumi's mind went back to the Championship. 'A tournament that acts as stepping stone to becoming a Pro-Duelist! Akihiro, I thanked you many times before for dueling me, but now I will thank you many times over for telling me to come here!' He then pulled out Aka-Ho from his Extra deck. 'And I have him to thank for winding up with you. I look forward to working with you in the future!' The eyes glowed red as a cry came from the card.

As Takumi walked past a street in deep thought, he didn't notice the individuals at the other end of the street. Or that they had spotted him.

"Oi! You're Takumi Shou, right?"

The call stopped Takumi in his tracks, and he looked down the street at the three individuals moving towards him. There were 2 boys and 1 girl. The girl had long, straight black hair with a light brown skin tone, and a blue top over a yellow long sleeve. The taller of the boys had purple spikey hair, dark colored clothing, and what Takumi would call a smug expression on his face. The sorter one had wild, spikey brown hair, a white jacket with the sleeves seemingly ripped off and- 'Is that a Kendo stick? Wait, who are these guys?'

"Well?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah, I'm Takumi. Who're you guys, and do you always act this rude?"

Smug just looked ticked off at that. "What was that!?" 'Oh, so it was his voice that seemed rude.'

"Hokuto!" The girl just glared at him, shutting him up instantly. She then looked straight at Takumi. "My apologies. My name is Masumi Kotsu, with LDS's Fusion summoning course."

Kendo Kid was next. "The name's Yaiba Todou, from the Synchro summoning course."

Smug was last. "I'm Hokuto Shijima, Xyz course."

Takumi nodded at that and crossed his arms. "Nice to meet you. Now before we go any further, I have to ask." Seeing the serious expression on his face, the three paid attention to what he was about to say, wondering what he wanted.

"What's LDS?" Takumi's head tilted to the side in confusion, causing the trio to lose their balance in surprise.

Hokuto was the first to recover and respond. "'WHAT'S LDS!?' ARE YOU SERIOUS!?"

Takumi started picking at his ears again. "Yes, I am serious. And if people keep yelling at me this much I'm pretty sure I'll be deaf too."

Hokuto just stared dumbly in response, unsure of how to justify this kid's ignorance.

Masumi then put a hand on Hokuto's shoulder. "How about you be quiet and not say something that will make him angry." Hokuto turned to argue, saw the look on her face, then went and sat next to a nearby lamppost as if he was in a time-out with Yaiba chuckling at him.

'Wow. First Yuzu and her magic fan, and now this girl and her glares. Are all girls this scary in the city?'

Masumi then looked back at Takumi. "Sorry about him. He tends to open his mouth before his brain can filter it. As for your question, LDS, or the Leo Duel School, is currently the top duel school in the world. It is also run by the Leo corporation, the same company responsible for creating sloid vision with mass. You might have seen the school during your time in Maiami." She then pointed behind him and Takumi saw that same skyscraper from earlier.

"Oooh. So that's what those letters stood for." Takumi looked back at the others. "Sorry for not recognizing it, but I spent most of my life out in the country, so I don't really know much about the world yet."

Masumi nodded at that. "I suppose that would explain it. It isn't often we come across someone who hasn't heard about LDS."

"Haha, I guess I can imagine that." Takumi then had a thought. "Hang on. How did you guys know my name?"

Yaiba took the reins. "Well, you may not know about LDS, but they know about you. Apparently they know for a fact that you can use Fusion, Synchro, AND Xyz. And the list of people who can do that is slim to none."

"How is that by the way? There is little to no information on how you acquired these abilities."

"Hm? Oh, I learned from ex-pros. The town I grew up in is a popular place for vacationing or retired duelists to enjoy life. I learned from them."

Hokuto decided to rejoin the conversation there. "And according to rumors, you should also be able to use Pendulum."

Takumi just blinked at them. "Well they would be right. But how would they know stuff like that? I literally came into town yesterday."

"LDS monitors all dueling activity in the city, allowing them to keep an eye out on their students, and for any potential prospects."

Masumi's words just confused him. "Prospects?"

"Oh come on! We're saying LDS wants you as a student!" Hokuto let out his statement with a look of annoyance.

Takumi's eyes widened at that. "Huh?" He then pointed to himself in confusion. "Me? The top duel school in the world wants me as a student? Really?"

Yaiba just grinned at him. "Is it so hard to believe? You have skills and abilities that are rare to find. Especially in someone our age! If LDS had someone like you in their ranks, not only would it boost their image even higher, but it would open all the necessary doors for you to become one of the best duelists in the world!"

Takumi's eyes shone with those words, an image appearing in his head of him and his birds taking the title of world champion. "Best in the world…"

Masumi saw that their words had an effect on him. "It seems you understand what we're offering. So, do you accept?"

"Hm? Oh, no thanks."

"Eh?" All three of them let out a sound of surprise and Takumi's words.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm good."

Masumi blinked, and tried again. "Wait, why not?"

"Well for one, I'm already a part of You Show."

Hokuto sneered at the name. "You Show? Hmph. That place isn't even fit to teach anyone."

"Your just still upset that you lost to Yuya." Yaiba smirked at Hokuto's anger.

'Hm? These guys know Yuya?' Takumi was snapped out of his thoughts by Masumi.

"Why would you want to go there as opposed to LDS? They would help you reach whatever dream you have of being a duelist far better than that joke of a school!"

Takumi just smiled at her. "But then it wouldn't be my dream would it?"

"Huh?"

At their confused faces, Takumi just kept smiling. "If I use LDS to advance myself as a duelist, people will contribute it to LDS's standards. But if I pull it off without them, wouldn't it be an even better achievement? Besides, I like it at You Show. They prioritize the thing I feel is most important about dueling."

Masumi and the boys just stared dumbly at him. "And what could that possibly be?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Takumi replied with a grin. "It's making every duel as fun as it can be, for both the duelists and the audience. After all, it is a game!" As the three just looked at him, incredulous looks on their faces, Takumi just kept on smiling. "Anyway, thanks for the offer, but I'm good." With that, Takumi turned to leave.

But was stopped by Hokuto's voice. "How about this?"

When Takumi turned around again, the three were starting up their duel disks.

"If you won't listen to our words, then how about you listen to our decks!" Yaiba was smirking bigger than ever.

"Maybe if we can show you exactly how skilled we are in our respective courses, you might reconsider. But going at you one at a time would take too long, so you'll take on all of us at once with Battle Royal rules." Masumi challenged him, eyes full of confidence. "If we win, you'll come with us quietly to LDS. If you win however, which is highly unlikely, we'll leave you be. What do you say?"

Takumi thought over their words. "Hmmmm. I would like to see what you guys are capable of. Alright, but 2 things. 1; If you expect me to really be quiet if you took me quietly, then you REALLY underestimate my curiosity. 2; Let's amend your condition to 'I'll come by and look around' instead. That way, I'll know what it would be like and I would then have more information to go by when I make my decision. Deal?"

The trio shared a few looks, before Masumi looked back at him. "Agreed."

"Alright! I haven't had a three-on-one before!" Takumi then put on a massive grin and activated his own duel disk.

Duel!

Takumi: 4000

Vs

Hokuto: 4000

Yaiba: 4000

Masumi: 4000

"Since you are outnumbered, we'll allow you to take the first turn."

"So you better make it count!"

At Masumi's and Yaiba's words, Takumi could only smile in anticipation. "Why thank you. To start, I play my Shield Wing in Defense mode." Takumi's bird then appeared on the field. "Next, I equip him with the union monster Spirit Wing in my hand!" The white bird appeared, then enveloped Shield Wing in light. "I end my turn with a face-down."

Hokuto could only sneer at Takumi. "Is that all? Hmph. Not really worth all the hype you've been getting. My turn. Hope you're ready for the unmatched power of LDS's Xyz summoning! If my opponent controls a monster and I do not, I can special summon Constellar Siat from my hand!" A boy sized monster appeared on the field, carrying a jug as big as he was. "And to keep him company, I normal summon Constellar Pollux!" Next to Siat appeared a knight wielding a sword with two blades.

"During the turn when I normal summon Pollux, I can normal summon an additional Constellar monster. Like my Constellar Algiedi!" Joining his monsters was a monster wielding a staff and wearing a mantle. "When Algiedi is summoned, I can special summon 1 level 4 Constellar monster in my hand. I choose Constellar Kaus!" His latest monster was an armored centaur carrying a bow.

Takumi whistled at the display of sequential summoning. "Wow. You're not kidding around are you?"

"Not even a little. I activate the effect of Kaus! Up to twice per turn, I can increase or decrease the level of a Constellar monster on the field. I choose to increase the levels of Kaus and Algiedi!" Kaus fired an arrow of light straight into the air, exploding into a shower of light particles, changing Kaus and Algiedi to level 5.

"I now use the level 5 Kaus and Algiedi to build the overlay network!" His monsters then became orbs of light that flew into a galaxy-like vortex in front of him.

" _Light of the stars, descend and shake this very earth! Xyz summon! Rank 5! Constellar Pleiades!"_

Takumi could only stare in awe at the regal looking Xyz monster before him. "Woooaaah… That is awesome!"

Hokuto only smirked. "Heh. That's only the tip of the iceberg that is the skill of LDS. I activate Constellar Twinkle! Now I can increase the level of Pollux from 4 to 6! And then I'll use the effect of Siat to make his level a match to Pollux!" As the glow surrounding Pollux from the spell card' effect faded, Siat threw its jug in the air as light particles flowed out from it, changing its level from 2 to 6.

"Now I'll use my level 6 Pollux and Siat to build the overlay network again!

 _Rain down your dazzling light! Xyz Summon! Rank 6! Constellar Ptolemy M7!"_

Appearing from the second Xyz portal was a white dragon-like creature, making Takumi grin in anticipation of what's to come.

Hokuto could only smirk at Takumi. "I know enough about Union monsters to know that they can save the equipped monster from destruction, but what about ejection? I use the effect of Pleiades to send Shield Wing back to your hand, leaving your Spirit Wing to go to the graveyard!" Pleiades then sent one of its overlay units flying into Takumi's monster, only for it to dissipate on contact. "Huh? What gives!?"

"Haha! Sorry, but Spirit Wing causes the equipped monster to be unaffected by card effects." Takumi could only smile while Hokuto just looked annoyed.

"Why you… Then how about I deal with your Union monster then!? I use M7's effect to return Spirit Wing to your hand!" M7's overlay unit then went flying into Shield Wing, this time knocking Spirit Wing off of it and back to Takumi's hand.

But Takumi wasn't fazed very much. "Okay. This could be interesting."

Hokuto just couldn't shake his annoyance at Takumi, but decided to let go for now. "I end my turn. Yaiba!"

"You got it! I'll kick things off by summoning XX-saber Boggart Knight! And with his effect I can summon X-saber Palomuro from my hand!" Yaiba's two monsters appeared one after the other. "And, if I control at least 2 X-saber monsters, I can special summon XX-saber Faultroll from my hand!" As the two monsters crossed swords, a portal appeared and out came a warrior with a visor and red cape.

"Now I tune my level 4 Boggart Knight to my level 1 Palomuro!" Palomuro then became a ring for Boggart to pass through, which in turn became 4 stars. "Synchro summon! Appear, level 5! X-saber Wayne!" Emerging from the light came a warrior with a cowboy hat and a bayoneted gun. "When Wayne is summoned, I can special summon a level 4 or lower warrior type monster from my hand. So it's a good thing I have my trusted XX-saber Fulhelmknight!" Wayne then opened a portal with its gun, releasing a warrior with a whip sword. "Now I use Faultroll's effect and resurrect my Palomuro!" His reptilian warrior appeared once more.

"I now tune my level 3 Fulhelmknight to my level 6 Faultroll! _Let your silver armor shine and crush the hope of all who oppose you! Synchro summon! Level 9! XX-saber Gottoms!"_ From his two monsters came a warrior whose very size was intimidating, let alone the size of its sword! "I'm not done yet! I now tune my level 1 Palomuro to my level 5 Wayne! _Clothed in your red mantle, take down your foes with your dancing blade! Synchro summon! Level 6! XX-saber Hyunlei!"_ Now a feminine monster with a visor and a curved sword appeared on his field.

Yaiba and Hokuto shared a glance, before Hokuto spoke. "I activate the effect of Pleiades! I use its last overlay unit to return your Shield Wing to your hand!" This time, Takumi's monster was sent back successfully.

Yaiba picked up from there. "And I activate the effect of Hyunlei! With it, I can destroy your face-down card!" Hyunlei grabbed a few throwing blades and threw them at Takumi's face-down, revealing it to be Swooping In.

"Nice work guys! His field's wide open!" Masumi looked excited at the advantage they had, while Yaiba just smirked. "Hehe. I'm not done yet. I activate Gottom's Second Call! With it, since I control at least 1 X-saber Synchro monster, I can summon 2 X-saber monsters from my graveyard ignoring their summoning conditions, so long as I reduce their ATK to 0. Come on back, Faultroll and Palomuro! And through Faultroll's effect, I summon Fulhelmknight from the graveyard as well!" All of a sudden, Yaiba had a full field at his disposal, leaving Takumi speechless.

"I now use the effect of Gottoms! For every X-saber monster I tribute, I can send a card from your hand to the graveyard! I release Faultroll, Palomuro, and Fulhelmknight to reduce your hand to a single card!" Yaiba's three monsters were then absorbed into Gottoms' sword, who then threw a wave of energy at Takumi, revealing the three cards that were to be discarded.

"Wow. You guys really aren't kidding are you? This is really getting interesting!" As Takumi sent his cards to the graveyard, he just kept grinning in anticipation.

"Hehe. Glad you think so. Maybe now you'll understand the kind of opportunity you're about to pass up here. Masumi! Wrap this up will ya!?"

Masumi smiled at both of her friends. "Of course. My turn! I activate Gem-knight Fusion! With this, I fuse the Gem-knights Lapis and Lazuli in my hand! _Blue gem veiled in a mysterious power. Come before us in a peal of light! Fusion summon! Appear, Gem-knight Lady Lapis Lazuli!"_

Appearing on her field was a feminine monster garbed in blue. "I now activate the effect of Lazuli in my graveyard! When sent there by a card effect, I can add one Normal Gem-knight monster there to my hand, so I'll take back Lapis. And with the effect of Gem-knight Fusion, I can banish Lazuli to return it to my hand. So I activate it again, this time fusing Lapis with Gem-knights Garnet and Sapphire! _Righteous red jewel of power, bright blue gem of purity, bring forth a new light with the hidden blue gem! Fusion Summon! Come forth, one who illuminates all with its brilliance! Gem-knight Master Diamond!"_ Emerging from the vortex was a regal monster about the size of Gottoms, with crystal horns on its head.

"Here it is! Masumi's Ace monster!" Yaiba cheered at the sight of the monster.

Hokuto just kept smirking. "This kid doesn't stand a chance."

Takumi meanwhile, was just staring at the monsters before him, awestruck at the mere presence of them all.

Masumi wouldn't let him. "Master Diamond gains 100 ATK for every Gem- monster in my graveyard."

2900 - 3200

"Now I activate the effect of Lapis Lazuli! I send another one from my deck to the graveyard."

\- 3300

"Now you take damage equal to 100x the number of special summoned monsters on the field plus half of her ATK! With 6 monsters and 2400 ATK, you now take 1800 points of damage!" Lapis Lazuli then created a sphere of energy and sent it straight at Takumi.

"Gaaargh!"

Takumi: 4000 - 2200

"Huh? Wha? AH! Crud, sorry, was distracted." Takumi then rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.

Meanwhile the trio just looked at him. Yaiba was the first to respond. "You were, distracted? In a three-on-one duel?"

"What could possibly be on your mind other than how you're about to lose!?" Takumi just laughed while Hokuto just got more ticked off. "WHAT'S SO FUNNY!?"

"Haha. Sorry, my mind is still sort-of on the duel. I was distracted by your monsters."

That had Masumi confused. "Our monsters? What are you talking about?"

Takumi just smiled. "Well obviously, it's because of how awesome they are! Hokuto! Your monsters look so righteous; they could be warriors from heaven itself!" Hokuto just stared dumbly, mouth agape at the unexpected praise. "Yaiba! Your X-saber's loyalty to each other, supporting one another from both hand and grave, it feels like they may as well be family!" Yaiba grinned widely at that. "And Masumi! Your monsters are so bright and beautiful they could put masterpieces to shame!" Masumi blushed a little from surprise. "And for you guys to summon this many monsters and use this many effects on only your first turn. How could it not steal my attention!?"

Once Takumi finished praising their cards, Hokuto could only look at him. "… You really just say whatever's on your mind, don't you?"

"I don't really say anything other than that! Haha!" Takumi still had that giant smile on his face.

Hokuto just stared at him, Yaiba was laughing with him, and Masumi had a smirk on her face. "Hm. Seems you are a very honest person. Are you sure you don't want to come with us without a duel? LDS can give you skill at a level comparable to ours."

"Sorry, but I have to stick by what I said. You guys and your monsters may be good, but I'm right where I want to be."

Masumi nodded at that. "Very well then. I activate the effect of Master Diamond! I banish the Lapis Lazuli in my graveyard so he can inherit her effects! Now I send my last Lapis Lazuli to the graveyard to deal damage once again. Half of Diamond's ATK is 1650, so this time you'll take 2250 points of damage! Master Diamond, end this!" Master Diamond then charged up its sword, and unleashed an energy wave straight at Takumi. As he braced himself, an explosion created a massive smoke cloud around him.

Hokuto crossed his arms and smirked. "Hmph. He wasn't too hard, now was he."

"Sure, but it is a little disappointing. I was at least wanting to see him Pendulum." Yaiba whined.

"Well it's not over yet!"

"Huh!?" As the three looked over at the cloud of smoke, they saw it clear to reveal Takumi and a blue bird similar to Shield Wing with its wings around him protectively.

Takumi: 2200 - 4450

"What!? How come your life points increased!? And where did that bird come from!?"

Takumi could only grin at Hokuto's questions. "I'm glad you asked. Everyone, allow me to introduce my dear friend, **Siphon Wing**!"

 **Siphon Wing: Winged Beast-type/Water/tuner/lvl2**

 **ATK: 500 DEF: 800**

"This little lady was the last card in my hand. And if she's in there when my opponent plays a card effect that deals damage, I can special summon her." Takumi's latest bird then moved in front of him defensively. "And while she's in play, any card used by my opponent that would deal effect damage, instead increases life points by an equal amount!"

"What!? Wait, then why didn't you use it the first time Masumi used Lapis' effect earlier?" Takumi just looked at Yaiba confused.

"What are you talking about? Didn't we already cover how I was distracted by how cool your monsters were?" Yaiba sweat-dropped, realizing that he did forget out of surprise.

"Haha. Still though, if I had stayed distracted, I may have lost this. Sorry Siphon." Siphon then looked at him and gave a low cry, apparently making Takumi feel better. Takumi then looked right at Masumi. "So, Masumi. Anything else you wanna throw at me?"

Masumi could only blink, before a slight scowl appeared on her face. "I end my turn. You may have survived this round, but after your turn we will finish you."

Takumi grinned. "Then I guess I need to find a way to win in this next turn, don't I?"

"Please." Hokuto could only sneer at him. "You have one monster on your field, no cards in your hand, and facing three duelists each with 2 powerful Extra deck monsters on their fields. I'm surprised you're not quaking in your boots."

"Well the let me tell you 2 things Hokuto." Takumi held up a finger. "1: I'm not wearing boots, these are normal shoes." Hokuto scowled as Takumi pointed at said shoes, getting a laugh out of Yaiba. Takumi then held up two fingers. "And 2: I never give up when it comes to either life, or dueling, or whatever may come. So long as I trust in myself and my cards, I know I'll always be ready, for whatever comes next!"

As he said all this, a corner of his pendant began to glow yellow, and a card in his Extra deck began to shine.

"And with that, it's my turn. I DRAW!" Takumi looked at his card. "Sweet! Looks like I have to thank you Yaiba." "Huh!? What for?" "You'll see. I activate Scattered Feathers! With this, I banish 1 Winged Beast in my graveyard, then draw 1 card for every 2 levels it possessed. And thanks to Gottoms, I have the perfect card. I banish Raiza the Storm Monarch to draw three cards!" Raiza then appeared, only to burst into light particles that illuminated the top three cards of his deck. As Takumi looked through his new cards, his pendant's topaz glowed even more, giving Takumi another vision.

An army of monsters marching forth, striking down all they see.  
As they continued their advance, a town made of trees came into view.  
Harpy Ladies and other birds watched from the branches as the army drew near.  
Storm clouds gathered above, as the army readied their siege engines.  
But before the attack began, lightning flashed and thunder boomed, and a shadow raced down.  
Aimed straight at the army, the shadow charged at them, lightning dancing across its form.  
As it landed, a shockwave burst out, scattering everything around it, while vibrant yellow eyes looked about.

Takumi came out of the vision, not having moved an inch. 'Again? Does that mean…' Takumi quickly checked his Extra deck. 'Oh-hoho! Now this could be interesting.' He then looked back at his hand, then smiled at the trio. "Hey, Yabia. You said something about wanting to see my Pendulum summoning, right?" At the trios looks of surprise, Takumi flashed a grin. "Well, wish granted! I, using the scale 1 Protector of the Trinity and the scale 4 Grand Chieftain of the Trinity, set the Pendulum scale!" Protector and Chieftain then flew up in pillars of light. "I activate the Pendulum effect of Grand Chieftain! Until the End Phase, I can increase or decrease his scale by 3, so I'll give him a scale of 7!" The number beneath Chieftain then changed from 4 to 7.

"With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters level 2 through 6. _Wings that carry me to the unknown future! Awaken the infinite potential within, and guide me down the path to success! Pendulum Summon! Descend, my avian ally!_ Meet my level 6 Troposphere!" Appearing next to Siphon Wing was a blue birdman.

"Woah! He really can Pendulum like that Yuya fella!" Yaiba couldn't contain the awe in his voice. Hokuto began to sweat a little, knowing from experience how much trouble Pendulum summoning could be.

Masumi however just looked on. "That may be impressive, but that monster isn't enough to defeat us."

"I never planned on him being all. But he is exactly what my Siphon Wing needs to shine! I now tune my level 6 Troposphere with my level 2 Siphon Wing!" Siphon and Troposphere both flew up, Siphon Wing becoming 2 rings for Troposphere to pass through, becoming 6 stars.

"Synchro!?" All three had similar expressions of shock on their faces, not expecting him to go from Pendulum to Synchro. As they watched, the pillar of Synchro light shot straight into the sky and into a storm cloud that was gathering.

" _Wielding the power of thunder and the speed of lightning! Gather the storm clouds, and strike down all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Descend, the symbol of my courage! Level 8!_ _ **Strength of the Trinity, Ki-Rai**_ _!"_

A surge of lightning shot down and struck the area behind Takumi, leaving behind a large yellow bird. It had all the features that Aka-Ho did, but replacing the red with yellow, and the rubies with Topaz. Instead of a flame within the crown, electricity danced across it. And where Aka-Ho gave off an aura of life, Ki-Rai gave off a feeling of righteous power. As it gave out a loud cry, a shockwave was released, causing Hokuto, Yaiba, Masumi, and all their monsters to brace themselves from the impact.

 **Strength of the Trinity, Ki-Rai: Synchro/Winged Beast/Wind/lvl8**

 **ATK: 2800 DEF: 2000**

Yaiba was the first to recover. "Now that is a Synchro monster! But you'll need more than that if you want to best our monsters!"

Takumi just kept smiling. "Thanks to the effect of Grand Chieftain, all Winged Beast-type Extra Deck monsters I control gain 200 ATK and DEF for each attribute on the field! Gem-knights and X-sabers are EARTH, Constellars are LIGHT, and Ki-Rai is WIND! So he gains 600 points!"

2800 - 3400

"Now Ki-Rai's effect! When Synchro Summoned, I can deal damage to my opponents equal to 400x his synchro materials. This means each of you takes 800 points of damage!" Ki-Rai's crystals began to glow, as it then let out a cry and flapped its wings, sending lightning at the trio.

"AAARRGH!"

Hokuto: 4000 - 3200

Yaiba: 4000 - 3200

Masumi: 4000 - 3200

Hokuto was the first to recover this time. "Lucky shot, but that isn't enough!" But was quickly shocked at what he heard next.

"Ki-Rai's second effect! For each point of damage dealt, his ATK increases until the End Phase of the next turn!"

Masumi's eyes widened at that. "But we each just took 800. All together means…"

"Yup! Ki-Rai gains 2400 ATK points!" The Topaz crown on Ki-Rai's head began to glow, before lightning danced around its body.

3400 - 5800

"5800 ATK!?" Hokuto was panicking a lot at this, Yaiba was staring at the powerhouse Takumi had with a nervous grin, while Masumi was maintaining a semblance of confidence.

"Relax, both of you! He can't finish us off like this. No matter which monster he attacks, all of us will still have life points afterwards." Masumi's words got through to the boys, and they each got their confidence back at hearing her logic.

Just as Takumi crushed it. "You sure about that Masumi?" The trio looked at Takumi worriedly, while he just kept smiling. "Because Ki-Rai has another effect. With it, he can attack every monster you control once each!"

"WHAT!?" As the three watched in fear, Ki-Rai rose up high into the air, looking down on the trio and their monsters.

"Now, if my math is correct, this should wipe out all of your life points, right?" Takumi was still smiling like an idiot, not even noticing the looks of fear on the trios' faces. He then looked up at Ki-Rai. "You ready pal?" Ki-Rai let out a loud shriek in response. "That sounds like a yes to me! So let's go! Ki-Rai! Take them down! Devastating Storm Strike!" The topazes on Ki-Rai glowed, and the lightning around Ki-Rai intensified. As the energy surrounding it took the form of an arrowhead, Ki-Rai let out a cry and charged at their monsters. As it destroyed each of their monsters, the resulting impact knocked each of them off their feet.

"AAAAARRRGH!"

LDS Trio: 3200 - 0

Winner: Takumi

Ki-Rai went back to Takumi and they locked eyes. He then gave it a massive grin and a thumbs up. Ki-Rai nodded in return before fading, leaving Takumi to check on the trio. As he got near Hokuto and Masumi, he reached out a hand to each of them. "That was an awesome duel! I wasn't sure what would have happened on my draw."

The 2 looked at him, looked at the offered hands, at each other, and back to him. Hokuto let out a sigh, while Masumi gave a small smirk. They each then took the offered hand and Takumi pulled them both up. Takumi turned to check on Yaiba, only for him to be standing right behind him.

"That was incredible! I've never seen a Synchro monster like that before! Are you really a home-brewed duelist!?"

Takumi blinked at the question, then tilted his head in confusion. "Home-brewed?"

Masumi picked up there. "He means you learned all that yourself, no formal duel school to show you how things worked."

"Oh. Well, yeah. No duel schools. Just some former pros with a lot of time on their hands. They did tell me how the different methods worked, but I practiced them myself until I was able to beat the ones that taught me."

"Hmph. I guess you got some skill." Hokuto crossed his arms and let out another sigh. "Alright, a lot of skill. I underestimated you." Hokuto smirked at him then.

Takumi smiled back. "Thanks! Honestly, I'm just glad to get the chance to duel three duelists this skilled at once. I haven't been this excited about the possible outcomes since my last duel with Akihiro!"

At the name-drop, Masumi's eyes widened significantly. "Akihiro? Uh, you wouldn't happen to be talking about THE Akihiro Shirokawa, would you?"

Yaiba and Hokuto looked at her confused, while Takumi looked wary. "Depends. Will I need to cover my ears from the shock in your voice? Because people have been doing that around me a lot lately."

Masumi just stared dumbly at him, while Hokuto and Yaiba tried to figure out what was up. "Oi, Masumi? What are you two talking about?"

She just kept staring. "… You've dueled against the Blue-eyes tamer, Akihiro Shirokawa…"

As Hokuto and Yaiba each recognized the title of the retired champion, they looked back at Takumi in shock, while said person had unconsciously moved his hands closer to his ears. And then decided to rip off the band-aid and get it over with. "… Repeatedly, and got my first win against him a few weeks back…"

Masumi's eyes widened even more, along with the guys, whose mouths had practically fallen on the floor, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out. "…You completely defy common sense, don't you?"

Takumi blinked, surprised that she didn't have an outburst. "Well, I suppose I wouldn't know. I've only been in the city for two days now, and I'm already shocking people with things that I had thought were normal. Sooo… Maybe?"

Masumi let out a sigh. "Well, now I feel a little less bad about not being able to recruit you, considering your ability. But at the same time it's frustrating." The guys had similar expressions of frustration.

"But it was still fun right?" "Eh?"

The trio just looked at the grinning Takumi. "It may have been short, but you guys had some awesome moves. I hadn't seen anything like that back home that wasn't on TV! Not only that, but I got to test out my newest Synchro! I couldn't have asked for a better chance, or opponents." He then reached behind his head and interlocked his hands back there. "Also, I never said I'd be unwilling to stop by LDS and saying hi every once in a while. You guys are pretty cool."

As they tried to process what he said, their disks beeped, signaling a message. After checking their messages, they exchanged a look, then looked at the confused Takumi. "It would seem that it's time for the three of us to return to LDS. Apologies for the suddenness."

Takumi just grinned at Masumi. "Not at all. If you gotta go, you gotta go. So, see you guys around?" He then held out a hand to them.

Masumi looked at the offered hand, and exchanged a look with the others. They all then looked back at him smirking, as she then took the offered hand. "You shall. And next time, we will beat you."

"Awesome! And I wouldn't care if it was a series of one-on-ones, or another three-on-one. I'll take your challenge whenever you make it!"

"You bet!" At Yaiba's proclamation, the trio went their way, and Takumi returned to his wanderings.

After a while, he pulled out Ki-Rai's card and just looked at it. 'First Aka-Ho, now Ki-Rai. I can't believe I'm holding these cards! Akihiro… Did you know somehow that this would happen?' He smirked at that. 'Heh. Probably. You were the most experienced duelist in town. Thanks. You to pal.' Ki-Rai's eyes then glowed briefly, before Takumi then put Ki-Rai back in his deck and looked at the rest of his blank cards. 'Now then… How can I get the rest of you to acknowledge me? I suppose you won't just tell me, so I'll just have to wing it then. Right?' He then put his cards back and checked the time.

"…! Oh man! It's way later than I thought it was! I gotta get back!" Takumi then looked around, trying to figure out where he was. "Okay… Maybe if I climb something, I'll find what I'm looking for." Takumi looked to the side, and found a fire escape in an alley. "Bingo!" He then began to get to the roof of the building to recreate what he did with Sora earlier that day.

* * *

[Meanwhile, at LDS]

"Mr. President. We have a response from Masumi's team. They are returning as requested."

"Hm." Reiji acknowledged the update, but kept his eyes on the recorded footage in front of him. Once gain they received strong Pendulum readings and this time could confirm it visually. However, this time they also received strong signals of Synchro from him, on par with the earlier Fusion. And this time, a different part of Takumi's pendant could be seen glowing.

'Is he still getting stronger? Just what are his limits?' Reiji leaned back, a thoughtful expression on his face. 'The report from Masumi's team may at least shed some light on whether or not he could be a helpful ally.'

* * *

[Spirit world]

In the world of duel monster spirits, there lay a tall forest surrounded by three mountains. Within the forest, buildings and structures had been made from trees themselves. Everywhere you looked, you could find a Winged Beast Spirit working on something. In one area, the three Simorghs could be seen being assisted by the 2 Raizas and their Vassal Garum in creating a living area for larger creatures. Off in another area, some Harpie lady monsters were bringing back food for some of the workers. Over in another area, Misty Valley Falcon and some of its comrades were training and teaching other Winged Beast-type monsters how to fight. Patrolling the borders, the three Mythic Wing monsters flew in a V-formation, watching for invaders of any sort. And all across the forest, tribal-looking birdmen watched over and directed them, providing aid and support in all of the tasks.

As for the mountains themselves, one of the mountains looked pretty ordinary. As for the other two, each had some sort of activity occurring on it. One of the mountains was an active volcano, smoke billowing out from the peak. The other had what could only be called the mother of all storms constantly occurring over it. And yet, none of those below were even the least bit worried about the natural disasters so close to their borders.

It gave a watching figure a sense of satisfaction as it observed those it swore to protect.

It currently sat upon one of the numerous perches created throughout the forest for relaxing and taking in the beauty of nature. Something that he truly enjoyed doing when he didn't have a crisis, or issue, or even a challenge to address. But this time, he was sitting on one under the shadow of the stormy mountain, waiting for someone he hadn't seen in a long time.

As it heard the flapping of familiar wings, the figure gave a small smile as he turned his red eyes onto the visage of his brother, speaking in a soft voice, seemingly filled with wisdom. "Hello again, Ki."

The Thunderbird simply landed next to his brother, observing the progress of those before them. "Hello brother. I see you were the first of us to awaken." This one had a deep voice that projected strength.

The response was a deep sigh. "Let me guess: Your upset that you weren't the first. When will you learn that you don't need to be the first for EVERYTHING?"

Ki-Rai smirked in the direction of his sibling. "Says the one who doesn't even care about racing. What kind of raptor are you to not go chasing after targets Aka?"

Aka-Ho then let out a deep chuckle. "Hehe. That seems to always be your rebuke to that. Still… Someone needs to protect the nest."

Ki-Rai then smiled in the direction of the workers. "True. I admit I am a little upset that it wasn't me, but you are definitely the best choice for the first to wake up. There is no one better to prepare for the future." His eyes darkened slightly. "Especially if this feeling I have is any indication."

Aka-Ho looked down sadly. "Yes… It would seem that things are beginning to move forward as they were once more. The tragedy we tried to help unmake, is attempting to return."

The Thunderbird nudged his brother with a wing, getting the Firebird to look at him. "It was bound to happen. We knew that that demon was too powerful at the time for even our powers combined to defeat him completely. That was why we helped to create the artifacts; powers that reached into the very essence of the four heavenly dragons, to spare the unified world from destruction. We knew that it was a temporary fix at best."

Aka-Ho then let out a deep sigh. "True. We did know that this day may eventually come. I just hope that we will be ready for when we need to truly fight."

"Then it's a good thing you're Mr. Hope then, isn't it?"

The Firebird chuckled at that. "True. Then I suppose it's a good thing we have our Courage here too."

"And don't you forget it! HAHAHA!" Ki-Rai's laughter boomed throughout the forest, causing some of the monster spirits to lose their balance, before Aka-Ho used the rubies in his wings to snap Ki-Rai's beak shut.

"Do I need to remind you about exactly how THUNDEROUS your laughter is?"

Ki-Rai blinked twice, and released a nervous chuckle, before his brother let go. "Sorry. Guess I've been asleep too long. I nearly did forget."

"It has been awhile. Even now, our sister still sleeps." Red and Yellow eyes then turned to the average looking mountain. "And while it does pain me about the state we had left ourselves in, while the worlds moved on divided, I know that it was the only way to make sure we stayed together in the resulting Divergence. To seal ourselves within our domain, until such a day that we could return to our duties."

"Speaking of, what kind of person is our new master? I only got a couple of brief looks; once upon waking up, and another after I aided him in battle."

Aka-Ho smiled. "He is like the rest of our kin. Free, proud, and selfless. In fact, I dare say he may even become our strongest wielder yet."

Wide yellow eyes were the response, before Ki-Rai let out a much more suppressed laugh. "Hahaha. Well then… We'd best not let him down now, shouldn't we?"

Aka-Ho smiled in content, as he watched the charges of him and his siblings prepare for the arrival of those who would aid in battle, and those that would need shelter from the encroaching chaos. "Indeed."

* * *

A/N: And now the Storm of Courage, Ki-Rai has arrived. Just one more to go before the Trinity is complete. I actually hadn't put much thought into using the spirit world when I first came up with this story, but one of my followers encouraged me to give this a shot, and I gotta say I like how it went. How about you guys? If you do, you can thank star eyes pendulum dragon for giving me that little extra push.

Now like I said at the top, after my next chapter goes up I probably won't be posting anywhere as frequently as I have been. That said, I really want to keep this story going for however long I can, because my head is swimming with ideas for this.

As always, thanks for reading, and let me know what you think.

OC cards

 **Siphon Wing: Winged Beast-type/Water/tuner/level2**

 **ATK: 500 DEF: 800**

If your opponent would play a card effect that would deal damage, you can special summon this card from your hand. While this card is on the field, any effect from an opponent's card that would deal damage, instead increases life points by the same amount.

 **Strength of the Trinity, Ki-Rai** : **Synchro/Winged Beast/Wind/lvl8**

 **ATK: 2800 DEF: 2000**

 **1 Winged Beast-type tuner + 1 or more Winged Beast-Type non-tuner monsters**

When this card is Synchro summoned, your opponent takes damage equal to the number of monsters used in this card's summon x400. When this card is summoned (except by Synchro), your opponent takes damage equal to the number of Winged Beast-type monsters you control x200. When your opponent takes effect damage, increase the ATK of this card by that amount until the End Phase of the next turn. Your opponent cannot target another Winged Beast-Type monster for an attack. This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. If this card attacks, it cannot be destroyed in battle.


	6. The Will to Resist

Last pre-typed chapter for you guys. Enjoy!

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

 _"Summon chant/whisper"_

Vision/messages

 **OC card first appearance**

I own nothing but my OC character and cards

* * *

Over the next few days, Takumi spent his time getting to know with the rest of You Show, and even found time to visit the trio a couple of times. He also decided to catch Yuya's latest duel to support him. He wasn't sure what to think about his opponent, but was amazed at Yuya's new Fusion monster, Rune-eyes Pendulum Dragon.

They were now walking away from the fortune school after Yuya finally managed to get his opponent, Meiru, who had kept saying something about Yuya being her "fated one", to stop latching onto him.

"That really was an awesome monster Yuya! Didn't expect you to pull out a fusion like that." Takumi grinned at Yuya, who hadn't stopped smiling after seeing Rune-eyes.

Yuya laughed a little, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks. I honestly wasn't sure for a moment if I would be able to win it. I was lucky to have drawn that card when I could."

"I bet. Man, and I thought Masumi's fusions were cool." As Takumi kept walking, the others stopped walking and looked at Takumi in surprise.

Yuzu was the first to say something. "Masumi? As in from LDS?!"

At the question, Takumi turned around and saw everyone looking surprised. "Hm? Oh yeah, they said they knew you guys."

"How do you know them?" 'Huh. Seems even Sora wants to know.'

Takumi shrugged. "I ran into them a few days ago. Apparently they were trying to recruit me for their school. Turned them down, but did agree to hang out with them every once in a while."

"EEEHHHH?!" After a few days of learning how much of his normal was their weird, Takumi was able to cover his ears in time to the shouts of Yuzu, Yuya, and the kids, keeping his hearing safe. Sora had just blinked a couple of times in surprise.

The kids then ran up to him. "But Takumi, they tried to take way You Show!" "They were mean to everyone!" "They gave me the worst kind of shivers!"

Takumi chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "I admit they are terrible at first impressions. And they did mention having tried to do that. Heck, when I turned them down the first time, they made me a wager that if they beat me in a 3 on 1 then they would make me go with them."

"What?! What happened?"

Takumi just grinned at Yuya. "Well I beat them for starters." Takumi then interlocked his fingers behind his head. "But, after seeing how they dueled, and looking past their first impressions, they are actually some pretty decent guys. Yeah, they can be a little overconfident, and they did admit to trying to take You Show away. But they only really did that because they were instructed to help with that. I bet if you guys had met differently, then we'd all be hanging out together."

Everyone just stood there, processing what Takumi had said. Takumi meanwhile didn't like the silence and thought of a way to get everyone's minds off of LDS. He just hoped he wouldn't get hurt by it... Badly at least.

"So. Who else thought that Meiru girl was weird?"

At that, Yuya sweat dropped, Sora and the kids giggled, and Yuzu had an annoyed look on her face. "She was really weird. And she shouldn't have been clinging to Yuya like that! Couldn't she see how uncomfortable he was?"

'Got her!' Takumi smirked. "Of course she shouldn't have done all that. And that whole fated one thing? Nonsense. Everyone knows that Yuya is fated to be with you Yuzu." After saying that casually, Takumi started walking off, but not before seeing the reactions of the others.

Sora had been trying to keep from full-out laughing, and the kids had each put their hands over their mouths, eyes wide with shock at what Takumi had said. Their eyes quickly looked over to the two in question.

Whose eyes were all the way open and their faces a bright pink. "Ta-Ta-TAKUMI!"

Takumi looked over his shoulder at them. "Oh, talking at the same time already? I didn't know you guys were THAT far along."

Their faces then got 10 shades deeper, Yuya's mouth mimicking a fish's in shock and embarrassment, with Yuzu having a look with an equal level of embarrassment combined with fury, and the kids were silently praying that Takumi's soul would go to a good place.

Sora had given up all pretense of holding back and laughed loudly while running to catch up to Takumi.

Just as Sora reached him, Takumi felt the strongest sense of blood-lust since he came to Maiami, and quickly pushed himself and Sora out of the way.

Of a fan wielding Yuzu who just left a small crack on the ground and had a fire in her eyes. 'Wait. What was that about the ground? Ah crud, how the heck is that even possible?!'

Yuzu slowly turned her head in their direction. "Taa, kuu, mii. Sooraaa."

"Hey, Sora? Remember that race we did?" Sora looked at what Takumi was seeing, widened his eyes, gulped, and nodded. "Good. RUN!"

That was how they spent the next fifteen minutes.

Yuya, who had managed to calm himself down, spent that time with the kids, watching from a nearby bench as Yuzu tried to quite possibly kill Takumi and Sora in a literal sense. They only survived so far because they kept jumping into trees and climbing lampposts and such. Only for Yuzu to strike whatever they were on, causing them to shake a little from the impact, then look for more durable spots to hide at.

Normally, Yuya would have tried to calm Yuzu down much earlier, but a couple of factors kept him from doing so. A, he was too terrified that the current Yuzu was too blinded by anger and may turn her fan on him. And B, he had decided that those two could fend for themselves right now, especially with how Takumi had been doing this a few times since he invited him over.

Meanwhile, Takumi and Sora had managed to confuse the angered Yuzu enough for them to reconvene in one of the nearby trees, both keeping an eye on Yuzu for when she figured out where they were. Hopefully, they could come up with a way to calm her down enough so that she would stop trying to kill them.

" _Why did you even say something like that?! You should have figured how dangerous she could be by now!"_ Sora kept his voice just barely loud enough for Takumi to hear it, who responded in kind.

" _I just wanted to change the subject, and that was the first thing to come to mind! I didn't think she could get this scary! If you knew so much better, then you shouldn't have laughed!"_

While they discussed what to do next, Yuya took notice of how tired Yuzu looked, and decided it was about time to try and stop this.

"Yuzu!" Her head snapped back to him, eyes still blazing, causing him to gulp in reflex. "Y-Yuzu, it's about time you calmed down. O-okay? We should really be heading back…"

As he kept talking, Yuzu started looking less like an enraged animal, and was closer to an angry warrior. "There is no way I'm letting them get away with that!"

Takumi flinched slightly. 'Okay. It is still at least weeks away before I can safely do that around Yuzu.'

Yuya tried to think of something that could work, then had an idea that would either help them, or condemn them. "But, that would be giving them what they want right? A-after all, Takumi said those things hoping to get reaction, right Takumi?" After a moment, Yuya's disk beeped with a message.

"If I had realized the reaction would be that strong, I would never had said that! Honest! I am very sorry! Sora too for laughing at it! Also, Sora and I are too scared to reveal our position yet, hence the message."

Yuya sweat dropped after reading the message out loud, but a glance at Yuzu confirmed that she at least understood their remorse, and was less likely to kill them.

She then closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, then put her fan wherever she keeps it. "Alright, fine. I won't kill you two. THIS time! Pull that again Takumi and you won't even be able to regret it!"

Her disk then beeped. "YES, MA'AM!"

Yuzu sighed while the others let out the breath they were holding. "Okay! You two can come out now!"

Turning her head towards the sound of rustling leaves, she saw Takumi and Sora climbing out of a tree with nervous smiles.

And faster than either could react, Yuzu was in front of them and painfully flicking both their foreheads. "OW!"

As they clutched their foreheads in pain, Yuzu put on a bright smile. "There. I said I woudn't kill you. I didn't say anything about hurting you." Yuya and the kids sweat dropped at her demeanor, while Sora and Takumi kept thinking they deserved that and were lucky it wasn't worse.

* * *

[Later]

Everyone was again making their way back to You Show, Sora thinking about how he was now able to take part in the tournament.

"Let's have a big party tonight to celebrate my qualification for the Junior Youth Championship!"

"Not yet!" "Eh?" Sora looked at Yuya in confusion.

"I've still got one left, so the celebrating is on hold until I finish that!"

"Eeehh? But then if you don't qualify, we don't get a party?!"

"Why you!" Yuya put Sora in a headlock for his teasing, whom just kept that sunny smile.

"I really want to eat some cake!"

"Once I qualify, I'll let you eat cake until you're sick of it!"

Takumi just laughed with the kids at their antics.

All of sudden, Yuzu ran past everyone, Tatsuya being the first to ask "Where are you going Yuzu nee-chan?" Yuya and Sora stopped for a moment to see what was up.

"I remembered something I have to do!"

Yuya just stared in confusion. "Something to do?"

"Ah! Is she going to get cake?!"

"Sorry, go back without me!"

Sora made happy noises, thinking she was getting cake, while everyone just looked on confused. After a few moments of thought, Takumi made a decision. "I'll go make sure she's alright. See you guys later!" He started running after her, then stopped for a moment and looked at Yuya and Sora, still in the headlock position with Sora still smiling like an idiot. Takumi smirked, took a picture on his disk, then ran.

He managed to catch up to Yuzu as she was about to turn down an alley. "Oi! Yuzu!" Getting her attention, he saw her eyes widen in surprise.

"Takumi? What are you doing here?"

"Chasing after you, duh. What's going on?"

After thinking for a minute, she decided to divulge a little. "I saw Masumi go this way, and I've been wanting to ask her something."

"Oh. Okay."

Yuzu just blinked at that. "That's it? No question about what I want to know?"

"Nah. I trust you. If you felt like sharing it, you would have already. So let's go then." He then started to lead the way down the alley, Yuzu quickly following after a moment of surprise. After a minute or two going down, someone stepped out from the side, getting in their way, surprising Yuzu.

It was someone around their age with black and purple hair (at least that's what Takumi thinks with the low lighting) with a mask over the lower half of his face and a torn dark jacket. Takumi could just see a bandana tied around the right arm. "I cannot let you go further."

Takumi just blinked at him. "Why?"

"I don't want my comrade to be interrupted."

"Your comrade…" Takumi looked at Yuzu as she said that. "You mean the one from back then? Wait, don't tell me he's fighting Masumi now?"

Takumi just looked back and forth. "Wait, Masumi's fighting with someone? Yuzu, do you know this guy?"

"Um, sorta. But you stopped him back then! Why this time…?"

"You don't need to know." Takumi looked back at Mask not liking where this seems to be going. "I don't want to involve you."

Yuzu only seemed to get more determined at his words and went to run past him, only for him to reach out and grab her wrist. "I don't want you to get hurt!" Yuzu's eyes widened at his words, surprised.

Takumi, not liking the implications of what may be happening, used that moment to his advantage. He took a running start and jumped at one of the alley walls. He then jumped back and forth between them as he was going over a surprised Yuzu and Mask. "You didn't say anything about me! Yuzu, I'll go see what's happening!" Without waiting for a response, he landed and ran down the alley, heading to where it lets out.

As Takumi ran onto the side street, he saw Masumi and the rest lying on the ground, looking injured. Standing over Masumi was a guy with a dark blue trench coat, blue and black hair, a red bandanna around his neck, and a duel disk on his arm. As he took notice of Takumi, he fixed him with a cold glare.

Takumi just stared back. Took another look at Masumi. Then back at Bandanna. "… So. Who are you?"

Bandanna just kept glaring at him. "What's it to you?"

"Well, from where I'm standing, a complete stranger is standing over a few friends of mine, who appear to be badly hurt. Can I assume you were responsible?"

Still glaring. "Do you intend to do something about it?"

Takumi just stared at him, nodding. "Well. I don't entirely like it when someone hurts my friends. Would you at least be willing to tell me why they are in such a condition?"

A shrug. "They were weak. In war, the weak perish."

'War?' "I have no clue what you are talking about, but I would at least like to check on their condition if you don't mind?"

Bandanna continued his glare, assessing the boy before him. There was something different about him compared to the three he beat, or any of the others since he came here. After a minute, he moved away and let him gather his friends and carefully prop them against a wall.

"Easy there. You guys all right?"

Yaiba was the first to crack his eyes open. "Ta… Takumi? What are you-"

"Later. Think you guys could wait here a moment?"

Yaiba looked at him, then behind him at the still glaring duelist. His eyes widened slightly, before focusing back on Takumi. "Be careful. That guy is the Xyz user responsible for attacking multiple LDS duelists."

"What?!" Takumi's eyes widened significantly at that, picturing what could have happened if he hadn't showed up when he did. He'd heard from them about the attacks, even how Masumi's teacher was the first to disappear.

As he stood up, a shadow hid his eyes, his voice completely calm. "Yaiba. Stay here with them for a bit, okay?"

Yaiba blinked in surprise at Takumi's tone. Sure, he'd come by occasionally like he said, but he didn't think Takumi could sound anywhere as serious as he did just now. "Uh, yeah, sure."

With a nod, Takumi turned back towards Bandanna, a look of determination on his face, causing him to narrow his eyes slightly. "I'd like to ask one more time for your name. If you do, I would be willing to tell you mine."

Bandanna carefully assessed the person before him, whose demeanor was completely different from a moment before. After a moment, he came to a decision, and raised his disk, activating it. "You may call me Shun."

Takumi nodded and activated his own disk. "Takumi. Now then, let's see exactly how good you are."

Meanwhile, Reiji and his entourage watched from a distance, hidden from view. They had originally come to intercept the assailant and learn the reason he was here, but Reiji hadn't anticipated for Takumi to appear. Curious about what would happen, he instructed his entourage to remain unseen and to watch what would happen.

DUEL!

Takumi: 4000

Shun: 4000

"Allow me to take the first move. I place 1 card face-down, then activate Polymerization!"

Shun's eyes narrowed at the card that was played. "Fusion…"

Takumi, taking note of Shun's reaction, continued. "With it, I fuse Necro Wing, Shield Wing, and Raiza the Storm monarch.

 _Royal of the furious winds, join with the winged protectors of sky and shadow. Let the flames of passion burn within your hearts, and give rise to the eternal inferno of life! Fusion Summon! Emerge from the flames, the symbol of my hope! Level 9! Heart of the Trinity, Aka-Ho!"_

As Aka-Ho took form behind Takumi, Shun stared at the monster before him. 'Another Fusion. But, there's something strange about it. It almost feels... pleasant?' Takumi then interrupted his thoughts.

"When Aka-Ho is summoned, every spell and trap on the field is destroyed, so my face-down goes away. In exchange, I can special summon a level 4 or lower monster from the graveyard, like my Necro Wing! Wildfire rebirth!" Aka-Ho's flames then burned away the face-down, taking the form of Takumi's monster. "When Necro Wing is summoned, I can summon another level 4 or lower Winged Beast from the graveyard. I resurrect Shield Wing!" Necro Wing gave off dark energy that took the form of Shield Wing. "Also, my face-down card is a trap known as **Bountiful Nest.** When destroyed, I can draw 2 cards."

Takumi then drew his cards and looked at Shun. "Yaiba says you're an Xyz user. In that case, you might have an idea about what I'm about to do. I overlay my level 2 Necro Wing, and Shield Wing!" As Takumi's monsters became energy that flowed into a galaxy-like vortex, Shun had widened his eyes in surprise, not expecting an Fusion followed by Xyz.

" _Slip through the cracks in reality, reveal the truth to the ignorant, and spread thy star-filled wings! Xyz summon! Appear, Rank 2! Mythic Wing Locus!"_

Takumi's Xyz monster took a spot next to him in defense mode, 2 yellow overlay units orbiting it. "For each overlay unit, it gains 300 DEF. I end my turn."

1200 - 1800

Shun glared at the monsters before him, angered at seeing an Xyz monster beside a Fusion monster. "You dare to use Xyz with Fusion? I will not forgive this. I draw! I summon Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius!" Appearing beside him was a metallic bird Takumi had never seen before. "When this card is summoned, I can summon another Vanishing Lanius from my hand. I then use the effect of the second one to summon a third." Two more monsters just like the first appeared beside him. "Witness. This is a true Xyz summon. I overly my 3 Vanishing Lanius!" His 3 Lanius then became energy and flew into another vortex.

" _Obscured Falcon. From adversity, raise your sharpened claws! Spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz summon! Come forth, Rank 4! Raidraptor – Rise Falcon!"_

Takumi stared in awe of the monster before him, another metallic bird, yet far more intimidating in appearance. When he noticed its ATK points, he only grew more worried. '100 ATK yet takes 3 level 4 monsters?' "So. What's this guy's effect?"

Shun raised an eyebrow at him. "Hm. It seems you actually have some brains. Most of those I've come across simply call it a weak monster for having only 100 ATK points. First, Rise Falcon may attack all special summoned monsters my opponent controls. Also, I can use one overlay unit, to increase Rise Falcon's ATK by the total ATK of all Special summoned monsters my opponent controls!" As he said this, one of Falcon's Overlay units moved towards Takumi's monsters and bathed them in light.

100 - 3700

"3700 ATK!?" Takumi looked in surprise at the powerhouse before him.

"And he'll be using all of it against your monsters! Rise Falcon! Attack that Fusion! Brave Claw Revolution!" Rise Falcon then flew straight up, before descending straight at Aka-Ho, destroying it.

"Arrgh!"

Takumi: 4000 - 2700

'What the…!? That felt like an Action duel attack would. But… there shouldn't be a Mass system here!'

"Now go after Locus!" Falcon continued its attack and aimed itself at Locus, only to be pushed back by an unseen force, surprising Shun. "What!?"

Takumi only grinned at him. "Sorry, but so long as Locus has more overlay units than you have monsters on the field, you can't attack it. Better luck next time."

Shun glared at him. "I set a card face-down and end my turn, returning Falcon's ATK to normal."

3700 - 100

"I draw." Takumi looked at his cards. 'Hm… I could bring back Aka-Ho, but something tells me I should wait on that. And I can't use Locus' effect to steal his monster because it's a Winged Beast-type.' "I place two cards face-down and end my turn." 'Gotta admit though. I may be going up against someone who isn't afraid to hurt people, but this is still pretty fun!'

Shun looked on. "Pitiful. I draw. I activate Rank-Up-Magic Raid Force! With it, I can take Rise Falcon and Rank it up!" Rise Falcon then turned into energy and flew back into a portal.

"What?!"

" _Ferocious Falcon, break through this fierce battle and spread your wings! Destroy our gathering foes! Rank up! Xyz Change! Come forth, Rank 5! Raidraptor – Blaze Falcon!"_

Takumi looked in awe at the monster that was summoned. He hadn't been expecting a Rank-Up card!

"Blaze Falcon's effect. By using one overlay unit, I can destroy every one of your special summoned monsters, and deal 500 damage for each one!" As Blaze used an overlay unit, blasters released themselves from its wings and started firing at Locus.

"Grrh!"

Takumi: 2700 - 2200

Takumi grinned back at Shun. "Gotta admit, that was pretty good. But I was prepared. I activate the trap card, **Kamikaze Strikes!** Once per turn, when one of my Winged Beasts are destroyed, I can destroy a card on the field! Locus! Take down Blaze Falcon!" As Locus appeared from the smoke, it spread its wings and charged at Falcon, destroying both of them.

Shun just glared at him. "You think that will be enough to deter me? Our spirit is stronger than that! No matter how many times we are brought down, we will always stand right back up! I activate my face-down! Rank-Up-Magic Raptors Force!" As Shun revealed his quick-play spell, Takumi's eyes widened to the limit.

'ANOTHER ONE ALREADY!?'

"With it, I special summon the destroyed Blaze Falcon and rank it up to a Raidraptor monster 1 rank higher!" Blaze Falcon then appeared, only to turn into purple energy and to fly straight into yet another portal.

" _Prideful Falcon, spread your wings dyed in the blood of heroes! Advance through the path of revolution! Rank-Up! Xyz Change! Come forth, Rank 6! Raidraptor – Revolution Falcon!"_

Shun's latest Falcon left Takumi speechless. None of the Winged Beast cards he'd come across gave of a feeling like the ones from Shun's Raidraptors.

"I now equip it with Raptor's Ultimate Mace, giving it 1000 ATK points.

2000 - 3000

"Hey, you gotta be kidding me…" Takumi looked on in shock of the powerhouse before him. 'And I thought Rise Falcon was scary…'

"BATTLE! This is the end! Revolution Falcon! Attack directly and finish this!" As Revolution Falcon took flight, Takumi decided he'd waited enough to start fighting back.

"I activate my second face-down!" As Takumi's face-down revealed itself, Shun's eyes widened at the type of card that was revealed. "The quick-play spell, **Rank-Up-Magic Will of the Trinity**!"

"Rank-Up?!" Shun hadn't expected anyone from standard to even be able to use that technique!

"If I don't have any monsters left on my field, I can special summon 1 Winged Beast-type Xyz monster from my graveyard, then rank it up to a Winged Beast that is 1 rank higher!" A circle with three triangles connected within it formed, with Locus appearing from it. It then turned into yellow energy and flew straight up into a portal.

" _Royal avian with divine blood. Come before us, and lead your kin through hardship! Rank Up! Xyz Change! Come forth! Rank 3!_ _ **Regal Raptor of the Trinity**_ _!"_

Appearing was a Hawk-like bird of similar size to Locus, possessing blue feathers, purple eyes, and a sapphire in the middle of its forehead. A blue overlay unit was orbiting it.

 **Regal Raptor of the Trinity: Xyz/Winged Beast/Water/Rank3**

 **ATK: 1600 DEF: 2400**

"When Regal Raptor is Xyz summoned because of a "Trinity" card, I can increase the ATK and DEF of all Winged Beasts I control by 100x their level or 200x their rank!"

1600/2400 - 2200/3000

Shun was surprised at how Takumi was able to successfully Rank-Up a monster, but kept up his glare. "Not bad, but that won't save you for long! When Revolution Falcon attacks a special summoned monster, its ATK and DEF become zero." As Revolution rose far above the buildings, it released a large number of bombs right above Takumi and Raptor.

"In that case, I activate Regal Raptor's second effect! By using an overlay unit, I can negate an attack!" Regal's overlay unit then flew straight up and turned into a barrier just above the buildings, intercepting the attack.

Shun glared at Takumi. "Fine then. I use Revolution Falcon's overlay unit to activate his effect. I destroy Regal Raptor and deal damage to you equal to half of its ATK on the field."

"WHAT?!" Takumi then looked up in time to see Falcon absorb its overlay unit and drop one last bomb, destroying Raptor and knocking Takumi off his feet.

"AAARRGGH!"

Takumi: 2200 - 1100

As Falcon took its place behind him, Shun just kept up his glare at Takumi, sprawled on the ground. "Give up. You can't win."

As Takumi heard those words, he clenched his hands into fists, and started to get up, Surprising Shun that he was able to do so much. "…Sorry, but I can't do that."

As he started getting to his feet, Shun, and Reiji, who was still watching intently, noticed a soft blue glow coming from the pendant around his neck, and from his Extra deck. Takumi, not noticing, just fixed Shun with a determined smile. "If I gave up every time things didn't look good, then I wouldn't be able to call myself a duelist! So get ready. Because I'm not giving up until the final card is played!" The light shined even brighter, momentarily blinding Shun and Reiji, and sending Takumi into another vision.

At the peak of a snowy mountain, a large humanoid form marched forth towards a structure of ice.  
As it reached the door, it lifted a club larger than its torso, and smashed the doors down.  
It than ran in, eager to do battle, only to be hit with a strong arctic wind.  
The being recoiled from the cold, but pressed on, moving through the frigid temperature.  
As it progressed, the air became colder, and the wind became stronger.  
By the time it had reached what appeared to be an audience chamber, it had been badly battered.  
As it fell to its knees with its club as a crutch, a shadowed form watched it as it moved in a pattern.  
As it danced from side to side, it looked on with deep blue eyes.

As the vision faded, Takumi blinked. 'That was… Just like before. Then that means!' Takumi checked his Extra deck, then hatched a plan. 'Alright then. I'll try to bring you out. Though it all depends on what I draw next… Then again, you guys haven't let me down yet!'

Takumi smirked back at Shun. "Alright then. Anything else you wanna do before I try to turn this around?"

Shun glared at Takumi, curious at what had just happened, but decided it could wait. "I end my turn."

Takumi nodded at him. "My turn. I draw!" Takumi looked at the card he drew and grinned. 'YES! This is perfect!' He then looked back at Shun. "Hope you're ready for a comeback. From me and my friends!" At Takumi's statement, small flames started to appear around the area. "During my Standby Phase, I can activate the effect of Aka-Ho if it's on the field or in the graveyard. I now banish Polymerization and Will of the Trinity to resurrect Aka-Ho and Regal Raptor!" The flames then gathered in the middle as Takumi's spells appeared and entered the bonfire. The flames then surged, expelling Takumi's monsters before dying out. "And when Regal is summoned outside of an Xyz summon, I can banish 1 spell or trap on the field for every other Winged Beast I control. Say goodbye to your Mace. Sapphire Surge!" The sapphire on Regal then shined and fired a beam at Shun's spell card, causing it to freeze and shatter.

3000 - 2000

Shun narrowed his eyes, angry at seeing Takumi continuing to have Fusion and Xyz work together. "Pointless. Even with less ATK it can still reduce the ATK of your monsters with its effect and defeat you that way."

"I'm not done! I activate the spell card **Xyz Legacy**! With it, I'll banish an Xyz monster in the graveyard, then revive monsters that would be compatible for a summon of that monster."

Shun looked unimpressed. "So you intend to bring back those level 2s by getting rid of your Locus? What do you plan to accomplish with that?"

Takumi just smirked. "Who said anything about Locus?" Shun raised an eyebrow in confusion. "After all, I never said anything about using ONLY my graveyard."

Shun's eyes widened significantly. "You mean-?!"

"Yup! I banish Rise Falcon and take your 3 Vanishing Lanius!" A light then shined out from Shun's graveyard, as Rise Falcon was banished, then his three birds took place in front of Takumi. "Now the fun part. I use your three Lanius to build a new overlay network!" Shun watched in surprise as his opponent used his own monsters in an Xyz summon, not expecting such a circumstance. As they entered the portal, a cold wind blew around them.

* * *

[Spirit World]

Ki-Rai was practicing with some of the larger duel spirits in battle, working to make sure he was in top condition, and getting his subordinates in top shape themselves. He was slightly irritated that his brother had been called for another fight instead of him, but even he knew that not everything could be solved with violence.

Even if that was his specialty.

At that moment, he and all the other spirits felt something, and they all cast their eyes to the third mountain. They watched, as a powerful wind blew around it, and snow and ice formed along the peak. It appeared to be in a blizzard that could make even the most resilient individuals to surrender.

And yet, Ki-Rai could only watch in glee, as a beam of blue light shot up from the peak. 'Finally! To quote the humans, the band is back together!' As the light died down, he then released a powerful laugh, not adjusting it for those around him, who understood that this was indeed a time to be happy.

"HAHAHAHA! WELCOME BACK TO THE WAKING WORLD SISTER!"

* * *

[Duel]

" _Majestic avian with the beauty of falling snow. Dance with your kin, and call forth the arctic winds that bring all to their knees before you! Xyz summon! Soar through the skies, the symbol of my Will! Rank 4!_ _ **Soul of the Trinity, Ao-Yuki!**_ _"_

Appearing was a large bird similar to Aka-Ho. Its feathers were light blue, the gems it bore were sapphire, its eyes were a deep blue, and it possessed an aura of confidence. Instead of the flame on its head, Ao-Yuki possessed 3 spikes of ice behind the front of the crown pointing back in a row, the middle spike being an extra third longer than the other 2.

 **Soul of the Trinity, Ao-Yuki: Xyz/Winged Beast/Water/Rank4**

 **ATK: 2000 DEF: 2800**

Takumi looked behind him at Ao-Yuki. "Thanks. Your timing couldn't be better!" Ao-Yuki gave a low cry in response.

Ao-Yuki then locked eyes with Aka-Ho, and the 2 let out a high-pitched cry, wings as wide as they could be, gems shining for all they were worth. The presence of the two together seemed to fill Takumi with purpose.

Meanwhile, Shun grit his teeth at seeing Takumi use his monsters for an Xyz of his own. "You dare to mock me?! Taking my own monsters and using them against me?!"

Takumi just looked back calmly. "Quite the opposite. I think you and your monsters are incredible." Shun's expression shifted slightly in response. "The way you care for your monsters, the way they seem to back your play, how they refuse to bow down to the will of others. I have never seen bird monsters with that kind of determination. In fact, it feels a lot like how I play my cards. I always put my trust in them, and they always do everything in their power to help me succeed." Takumi looked down for a moment before looking back at Shun. "What's going on?" Shun's eyes narrowed dangerously at those words, but Takumi didn't even flinch. "From the way you've been dueling, I can tell your angry about something. I can also tell that you have pride as an Xyz user and something like hate towards Fusion. What I don't understand is why. So… care to enlighten me?"

"… I have no words for an enemy." Shun's glare seemed stronger than ever.

Takumi then closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he opened them, Shun was surprised to see a briht and friendly smile, something he hasn't seen in earnest for a long time. It was as if this was someone else entirely than who he was dueling! "Well then. I just need to show you that I don't need to be an enemy. Regal Raptor of the Trinity! Attack Revolution Falcon!"

"Fool. Falcon already has more ATK points, and his effect will reduce your monster to nothing!" At Shun's words, Falcon and Raptor took to the skies, attacking each other. Falcon began to get the upper hand, but as it went in for the final strike, twin streaks of red and blue flew in front of it, catching it off balance. "WHAT?!"

Shun watched in shock, seeing all of Takumi's birds attacking Falcon! He then glared at Takumi. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Takumi just looked back calmly, smile still on his face. "This is the special talent of Ao-Yuki. Dance of the Northern Wind! So long as she has 1 Overlay unit, she can bring every bird on my field into a dance, sharing her blessing and power with them. This does 2 things. First, it protects my birds from the effects of my opponent's monsters, so Regal keeps all of its ATK points. But the best part is how she gets them to work together." As he said that, the three birds began to move in tandem with grace and precision, keeping Falcon from being able to focus its attention on any single one of them from how entranced it was at the display. "Once per turn, when a Winged Beast-type monster battles an opponent's monster, I can reduce the ATK and DEF of the opponent's monster by 100x the combined levels and Ranks of all Winged Beasts on my field!"

Shun looked shocked at that. "You can do what?!"

"I do believe you heard me. Now then, Regal is Rank 3, Aka-Ho is level 9, and Ao-Yuki is Rank 4. That means Falcon loses 1600 ATK points! Observe and be amazed!" The Sapphire wings of Ao-Yuki then shined a soft blue, and as Takumi's monsters continued to dance and weave around the enraptured Falcon, the light spread over Falcon, causing ice to form on its body and wings.

2000 - 400

"Now Regal! Strike down Revolution Falcon with Resolute Dive!" Blue energy then poured out of the Sapphire on Regal's head and surrounded it, just before it flew straight at and through Falcon, causing it to explode.

"Grrgh!"

Shun: 4000 - 2800

"I'm not done yet!" Shun looked back at Takumi, to see that Aka-Ho and Ao-Yuki had taken position on either side of him, the gems on their bodies glowing in their respective colors, and tail feathers curling around him. "I still have two attacks left, and their going straight for your life points! Aka-Ho! Ao-Yuki! Together now!" Takumi's monsters gave a high-pitched cry as their gems glowed even brighter. "End this with Cleansing Blaze and Arctic Gale!" Fireballs formed around Aka-Ho as snow-filled wind began to surround Ao-Yuki. As they each flapped their wings, the 2 attacks moved together, cold wind enfolding blazing orbs, and straight at a wide-eyed Shun and knocking him off his feet.

"AAARRRGH!"

Shun: 2800 - 0

Winner: Takumi

As the monsters began to fade, Takumi and Ao-Yuki looked at each other, before Takumi bowed slightly and Ao-Yuki responded by lowering its head in respect. As it faded, Takumi looked back at the recovering Shun, a slightly sad look on his face while Shun seemed downright furious at having lost.

"… How? How did you beat my Raptors!?"

Takumi just smiled kindly. "By having my own monsters work together. Now, will you explain what's going on?"

Before he could even respond, they both heard footsteps from behind Shun. When they looked, they saw a number of people in uniforms standing together, giving Shun a look of determination, one of them looking like a security personnel. Takumi could just see the same LDS pins on their outfits that Masumi and the others had. And apparently Shun could too.

"Tch. So now you show up. But I'm sick of seeing lackeys. So bring me your boss!"

"If you want me, I'm right here." At Shun's and Takumi's surprise, the group lined up in 2 rows, revealing a figure walking forward. Takumi saw silver hair, a blue shirt, red glasses, and a long red scarf that trailed behind him.

Takumi looked back and forth between the two, not sure what to say.

Shun stared at the new arrival. "And you are…?"

The new figure then adjusted his glasses before answering. "Reiji Akaba. Leo Corporation's current president." Takumi widened his eyes in surprise. 'Masumi and the rest mentioned him, but now I that I can actually put a face to the name I gotta say, he certainly seems confident enough to be a pro.'

Shun narrowed his eyes with a dark expression. "Reiji… Akaba…"

"From the way that you continue to assault parties related to the Leo Corporation, such as Maiami's LDS, I would assume you wished to meet me. Am I wrong?"

Shun closed his eyes and had a determined smile on his face. "You're… Reiji Akaba…" He then opened his eyes to look at Reiji. "The son of Leo Akaba? I've been waiting for this moment. Now come at me! Duel me!"

Takumi looked at Shun in shock, and glanced back at the trio, still recovering against the building. 'He was doing all of this… for a duel?'

Reiji didn't even blink at Shun's words. "Before that, let me ask you… as to why you're fighting me?"

"I don't need to answer that!"

"It's most likely to rescue your comrades." Shun's face shifted into one of surprise at Reiji's words, as Takumi just felt even more concerned. 'Rescue?! Comrades?! WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!'

Reiji continued. "The girl over there, testified that when she first encountered you, you said this upon seeing Yuzu Hiragi: 'Ruri! Why is Ruri here…? Did you get away?! Did you manage to escape on your own?!'" Takumi's eyes widened even more at what he was hearing, not even sure what to think here.

"From there, I deduced that Ruri is to you… no, to all of you, a dear comrade. And it would seem that she is currently captured by your enemy. And even now, Ruri has yet to escape from the enemy's clutches. That's why you continue to attack LDS like this."

Shun just glared at Reiji, as if he was thinking about something. He then started smirking. "There's no doubt that Ruri is still in captivity now. But I will save her!" He then pointed at Reiji. "In order to do that… I just need you!"

Reiji just watched him coolly. "As I suspected. So in short, you want to use me as a hostage to exchange?"

"That's right. The reason I kept attacking LDS… And the reason I sent you the cards with the souls sealed inside… It was all to draw you out!" Takumi had completely frozen at what he heard. 'Souls trapped in cads!? Is that even possible!? Why would anyone do such a thing!? Wait…' "If I have his son as a bargaining chip, then even Leo Akaba will be unable to say no!"

Reiji just closed his eyes and opened his mouth to say-

"That's not all is it?" Reiji's eyes opened as he and the rest turned their attention towards Takumi as he spoke. "Your emotions from the duel… the determination you have to help her… Ruri isn't just a comrade to you is she?"

Shun's eyes widened as everyone waited for his response. Even Reiji looked thoughtful. His face then held a hard expression. "… No. She isn't just my comrade…" He then looked Takumi right in the eyes, anger and pain in his own. "She is my little sister."

Takumi' eyes widened in shock once again. 'He's doing all this… for his sister…' He then looked down sadly. "I see. While I can't agree with the methods you're using... I can't exactly fault you for trying to protect your sister."

Shun looked at Takumi, noting the apparent sincerity, before turning his attention back to Reiji.

Reiji took another glance at Takumi, before looking back at Shun. "I see. I'm sorry to hear that your own sister has been made a prisoner. That said, I'm afraid to say that your plan wouldn't work."

Shun narrowed his eyes dangerously. "And why is that?"

"Because I have a hard time believing that my father values me enough for a prisoner exchange."

Both Shun and Takumi looked at Reiji with surprise, before Shun became defensive. "What do you mean?"

"Never mind that… If you wish to fight me, I have no objections." As Reiji said this, he adjusted his glasses again. "But I have one condition."

Shun looked interested at that. "Condition?"

"If you alone fulfill my condition, then I'll gladly be your opponent. And if you win… you can do whatever you want."

Shun looked at him with determination. "What is the condition?"

"In a little while, we will be starting a championship within the city. I want you to take part in it."

"What? Why would I want to do that?"

Reiji looked at Takumi for a moment, then continued. "It is in this tournament that we will be picking out the strongest duelists. In order to fight Leo Akaba." Takumi's eyes widened in disbelief. 'Wait, WHAT?!'

"Against your father?!"

Reiji closed his eyes. "Leo Akaba is my enemy… Simply put, we are fighting a common enemy." Reiji looked right into Shun's eyes as he answered. Shun let out a breath in shock, while Takumi was reeling from everything he's heard so far.

"In the tournament, there will be someone who uses REAL fusions." As he grabbed Shun's attention at that statement, he continued. "There will also be someone who uses a summoning method you don't yet know of. I would like for you to verify it up close. I want to know if they will be useful as a lance to fight against Akaba Leo."

Shun took a moment to think about that, as Reiji turned his attention to Takumi. "As for you, I'm sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances. As you may have heard from Masumi, I've been keeping an eye on you. Speaking of, I must thank you for coming to their aid."

Takumi had snapped back to attention when Reiji addressed him. "Oh, yeah, don't mention it. Besides, I think of them as good friends. I wouldn't want anything to happen to them."

Reiji nodded at that. "I see. Now then, I'm going to have to ask that you not reveal any of what you've learned here to your friends at You Show just yet."

"Wait, WHAT?! You want me to keep quiet about a war that's apparently going on?! About people being trapped in cards?! Isn't this something you would want people to know about?!"

"In time, yes. However, if the information gets out at the wrong time, the repercussions could be unpredictable. Panic, suspicion, selfishness, to name a few. We can reduce the people's fears of a situation if we can control how and when they hear about it."

Takumi opened his mouth to argue, but he couldn't find the words. '… Ah maaaannnn. Why does he have to make sense?!'

Reiji kept watching Takumi. "If you like, I may be willing to give you more information on the subject in a more… private setting. Perhaps if you had more information, you would be more able to come to a decision?"

Takumi just looked back at him. "… Anyone ever tell you that sometimes you just sound too smart?" Reiji simply raised an eyebrow at the statement, as Takumi let out a sigh. "Alright, fine, I'll keep quiet for now, but I want to know exactly what's happening here."

Reiji nodded in response. "Very well then. Come by LDS in the next few days and we can discuss things further. Now then, good night gentleman." He then turned to leave.

"Hey!" Shun took a step to try and stop him, but the entourage that Reiji brought got in front, acting like a wall. Seeing how he wasn't going to get any more information from them tonight, Shun turned to leave.

"Would she approve?" Shun stopped and looked back at Takumi, who had a determined look on his face. "I can't pretend to say that I know what you're going through. I grew up in an orphanage, never even knew my parents. So I won't say I understand. But what about her?" Shun narrowed his eyes at Takumi, but froze at his next words. "Would Ruri approve of how you've been going about things? Attacking innocents all for her sake? Is she the type of person to accept such a thing?"

Shun had a somewhat shocked look on his face, before looking down in thought. After a moment, he walked away, leaving without another word.

Takumi sighed before turning to look back at the Leo Corp personnel. He then took a glance back at Masumi and the rest, before looking back at the entourage. "So… anyone gonna led a hand?"

* * *

[Spirit World]

"Aaaaahhh. To stretch my wings after so long!" Aka-Ho smirked at his sister as they flew back to their domain. "How good it feels to be back!"

"Haha. I know what you mean."

Ao-Yuki smiled at him as they flew. "I imagine. After all, you were always the one who flew the least, content to simply send your flames where necessary. Heeheehee."

Aka-Ho let out a sigh. "That is something I didn't miss. But still. It is good to see you again Ao."

"You too Aka. Now then, I can tell things aren't going very well right now, are they?"

"No. It would seem that HE is beginning to stir, and our influence is blocked by the very borders we helped to create. But we should have had more time to prepare. Either our plan wasn't as effective as I thought it would be, or something interfered. Or maybe even both."

"Well then. We'd better get started, now shouldn't we." Aka-Ho looked at his sister, the same as she always was. Free like the wind, always optimistic.

Aka-Ho smiled at her. "Good thing Ki and I already got started on that while you continued to sleep."

The Icebird sweat-dropped at that. "Oh dear, he's already up? Haaaa… I was hoping I'd be able to go a little while without his endless energy, but now he's going to be boasting about how he was up before me!"

Aka-Ho laughed at her, remembering how those two used to always compete. "If it helps, I was up before him."

Ao-Yuki thought about that for a few moments, then smirked at him. "That would knock him down a peg or two." They shared a laugh as they flew to their domain.

But stopped as they saw a streak of yellow coming for them, as they shared a look and waited. Soon enough, Ki-Rai was upon them, giddy with excitement.

"FINALLY! THE SLEEPING BEAUTY HAS AWOKEN!" Ice quickly formed around the Thunderbird's beak, quieting him, as Ao-Yuki looked at him with a smile.

"Yes Ki, I am awake. Which means you don't need to shout."

As she dissolved the ice, Ki gave a guilty chuckle. "Haha, sorry. Gotta get used to holding back again. Still. It's good to see you."

"Good to see you too brother. And before you go on about how you were awake before me, should I point out that Aka was first?" The Thunderbird deflated a little, since he was going to say that, and his siblings had a laugh at his expense.

Aka-Ho then looked at his siblings seriously. "Now then. We need to focus on recovering more of our power. We may be able to call out to our keeper, but he cannot truly hear us yet."

Ao-Yuki looked to her sibling. "Really? Awww… I wanted to know what he thought of my dance!"

"Hahaha! You always were a performer."

"Of course Ki. I do so enjoy seeing the smiles of others. It proves that they are willing to see the good in the world, and can even inspire them to spread that idea across the land."

"Indeed. You should remember brother. Even with the hope to look to tomorrow and the courage take a stand, one still needs the will to survive and protect."

Ki-Rai smiled at his siblings' words. "Of course I know all that. After all, without those ideals, we wouldn't exist."

"True. Now then…" Aka-Ho then led the way to their domain, Ki-Rai and Ao-Yuki right behind him. "While our kin work to prepare, we must gather our strength. And I don't mean you Ki."

"Drat! Just beat me to it." They then had a laugh as they headed down to the forest.

* * *

[Later in the real world]

After making sure the Trio made it back safely to be treated for their injuries, Takumi started working his way back to Yuya's, thinking about what was going on. 'I don't even know where to begin here! War? Hostages? And what did Reiji mean when he mentioned REAL FUSIONS?!' Takumi let out a deep sigh. 'Oh well… I just hope he can explain what the heck is going on, or I'm probably gonna go nuts over this!'

Takumi then walked in the front door of the Sakaki residence. "I'm back!"

"Takumi! There you are!" Yuya and Yoko were sitting at the table. "Where were you? Yuzu said she lost you."

"And look at how battered you seem to be!" Yoko's words got Takumi to realize that his duel with Shun had left a few marks, but he managed to pull off a disarming smile.

"Hehe, yeah… Turns out, Yuzu had seen Masumi and wanted to ask her something. I tried to take a short cut to catch up with Masumi and wound up losing track of her. Turns out, some of the walls in Maiami hide some pretty territorial dogs. I spent an hour running around just trying to figure out which way she went." Takumi lied to them, acting as if nothing world-shattering or possibly life-threatening had happened. 'Sorry Yuya… I'll tell you the truth as soon as I can. I promise to make this up to you.'

Yuya put on a relieved smile on his face. "Alright then. Just glad you're okay. You should probably send a message to Yuzu so she doesn't worry about what happened to you. By the way, you're just in time for dinner!"

"REALLY?! Yahooo!"

* * *

A/N: With the Unrestrained Will, Ao-Yuki, the Trinity is now complete. What do you guys think?

As for how Takumi meets Shun, I had a little trouble trying to piece together how I wanted this to happen, then decided on this. It also gives me a chance to show that while Takumi may be carefree and fun-loving, he does have a serious side. Yes, he is often a bit of a bird-brain (yeah I said it and I know some of you have thought that too) but he isn't completely ignorant. He cares dearly for his friends and will fight tooth and nail (or beak and talon) to protect them.

That said, I have now run out of pre-typed chapters, so there will now be more of a waiting period between updates. But I do know how I want my story to go, just not entirely sure how it will get there yet. If you like this story, please fav, follow, and/or review to let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas or questions feel free to let me know, whether by review or PM, and I will respond as soon as I can.

As always, thanks for reading!

OC cards

 **Bountiful Nest:** Trap/normal

When a winged beast-type monster you control is destroyed, you may look at cards from the top of your deck up to the level or rank of the destroyed monster. You may then select 1 Winged Beast-type monster among them and add it to your hand, then shuffle the deck. If this card on the field is destroyed, you may draw 2 cards.

 **Kamikaze Strikes** : Trap/continuous

Once per turn, when a Winged Beast-type monster you control is destroyed, you can destroy 1 card on the field.

 **Rank-Up-Magic Will of the Trinity:** Spell/quick-play

Target 1 Winged Beast-type Xyz monster you control; Special Summon 1 Winged Beast-type Xyz monster from your Extra deck using it as Xyz material. If there are no monsters on your field, you may target 1 Winged Beast-type Xyz monster in your graveyard; Special Summon it, then summon from your Extra deck 1 Winged Beast-type Xyz monster that is 1 Rank higher using as the Xyz material. (Special Summons with this card's effect are treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz materials attached to it also become Xyz materials on the Summoned monster.)

 **Regal Raptor of the Trinity** : Xyz/Winged Beast/Water/Rank3

ATK: 1600 DEF: 2400

2 level 3 Winged Beast-type monsters

If this card is summoned (except by Xyz Summon), you can banish 1 spell/trap card on the field for every other Winged Beast-type monster you control. If this card is Xyz summoned with a WATER Xyz material or by the effect of a "Trinity" card, it gains the following effect:

-When this card is Xyz summoned, increase the ATK and DEF of all Winged Beast-type monsters you control by their level x100 or Rank x200. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz material from this card to negate an attack from an opponent's monster.

 **Soul of the Trinity, Ao-Yuki** : Xyz/Winged Beast/Water/Rank4

ATK: 2000 DEF: 2800

2 or more level 4 Winged Beast-Type monsters

When this card is summoned (except by Xyz Summon), you may target 1 Winged Beast-Type monster in the graveyard or face-up in your Extra Deck for every Winged Beast-Type monster you control; attach them to this card as Xyz Material. While this card has Xyz Material, it gains the following effects:

-Winged Beast-Type monsters you control are unaffected by your opponent's monster effects.

-Once per turn, when a Winged Beast-Type monster you control battles; Decrease the ATK and DEF of the opposing monster by the total combined levels and ranks of all Winged Beast-Type monsters you control x100 until the end of the damage step.

-If a Winged Beast-Type monster you control would be destroyed, you may detach an Xyz Material from this card instead.


	7. Revelations and Preparations

Alright! First chapter that I typed out after already posting. Hope you guys like it! As usual, I own nothing.

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

" _Summon chant/whispering"_

Messages/visions

{"Announcer"}

* * *

The next morning, Takumi had gotten up early with Yoko and had left before Yuya had even woken up. Last night, they had each gotten a message, saying to do so and not tell Yuya anything about it, saying it had something to do with his next duel. Apparently, it was important for Yuya to be able to win even without hearing the cheers of others, so Nico was setting things up so Yuya would know what it was like to duel as the away team. Yoko even took some time to hide the animals for that little extra effect.

Now, they were meeting up with everyone at the Gongenzaka Dojo. Takumi was surprised to hear that Yuya's last duel was with such a close friend, but was still looking forward to seeing what Gongenzaka was capable of with using a deck of only monsters!

It helped Takumi to take his mind off of how he was supposed to hide the things he learned from Shun and Reiji from everyone.

Normally, he'd tell them in a heartbeat. But he did know that Reiji had a point. He had no idea how the others would react to hearing that there was a war going on, that no one even knew about. Heck, he was having a small freak-out just thinking about it! As he thought back to Shun, he wondered if that could have been him if he had a sister that had been taken…

Takumi then slapped both his cheeks, knocking the thoughts out of his head. 'Snap out of it! No use thinking about those sorts of things now! I'll just have to wait until I can ask Reiji about what's going on. Maybe I'll even be able to learn more from Shun…'

"Feeling tired?" Takumi's attention snapped to Yoko, who was giving a warm smile. "Trying to slap yourself awake might hurt a little though."

Takumi, realizing his actions and glad for the misunderstanding, shrugged it off and played being tired. "Yeah well, *yaawwwnn*. I did have a bit of a workout yesterday, what with the dogs and all."

"Haha. I suppose. Anyway, we're almost there. See?" She then pointed ahead and Takumi could see a long staircase with a Tori Gate in front of it.

"Yoko! Takumi!" They turned their heads at the voice and saw Shuzo waving at them, with Yuzu, Sora, and the kids in tow. They greeted them and started climbing the stairs. On the way up, he noticed Yuzu glancing at him every once in a while, but he pretended he didn't, trying to buy as much time as he could while he figured out what he should say about the previous day.

At the top, Takumi was amazed at the place they wound up in. "Wooooowww… This is a duel school? Man, Maiami is awesome!"

"Glad you think so." Takumi looked to the voice and saw Gongenzaka approaching with an older man. "We have setup an area where you can watch the duel, but you must not let Yuya hear you. Otherwise, the entire purpose of this duel will be ruined." As everyone reluctantly agreed, the elder (who Takumi learned was the elder Gongenzaka) had one of the disciples lead the way there.

On the way, Yuzu managed to get her and Takumi to the back of the group and asked quietly. " _What happened yesterday?"_

Takumi, having had time to prepare, answered her. " _After I split from you and the guy in the mask, I chased down where Masumi went. I guess they somehow knew I was coming, because there was no one there when I got there. I tried running around to pick up their trail, found those dogs I already told you guys about, and lost them completely. Sorry. Now my turn. Who was that guy with the mask?"_

Yuzu's eyes widened and she looked away. Seeing the look on her face, Takumi guessed that he managed to hide the truth pretty well. 'Again, sorry Yuzu. I swear, you'll know the truth as soon as I can tell it to you. For now though…' " _It's alright. If you don't feel like telling me yet, I won't push. Now come on. We have a duel to watch!"_ He then sped up slightly so they were back with the group completely, seeing the grateful smile on Yuzu's face from the corner of his eyes.

* * *

Takumi was astounded by the results of the duel! He was already impressed with Gongenzaka's monsters, since they were able to attack while defending, but even more so when he learned that he had learned Synchro from Yaiba! Yeah, he knew that they were spending some time together, but Yaiba refused to tell him why out of respect.

And then Yuya debuted his newest Pendulum card, Performapal Trump Witch, and Fusion summoned without Polymerization TWICE! Speaking of, Beast-eyes was just as incredible as Rune-eyes! Not to mention the risks Yuya took in order to be able to bring it out!

After the duel, everyone had congratulated Yuya on his victory. And when he and Yuzu had a small moment, Takumi was able to keep his mouth shut (even if it was REALLY hard not to tease them). They then wished luck to Gongenzaka on qualifying for the championship (Takumi REALLY wanted to duel him there) and left for You Show.

They were on their way, talking about nothing in particular, when Takumi's disk buzzed. Remembering he had set it so it wouldn't make a sound during the duel, he checked the message that was displayed, eyes widening.

"Hey guys, gotta split for a bit." As he got everyone's attention, they gave him looks of confusion. Shuzo was the first to ask.

"Oh? Why's that?"

Takumi rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… You are aware about how I've been getting to know Masumi and the rest right?" At the nods of the Yuya, Yuzu, Sora, and the kids, and the shocked and worried expression on Shuzo's face, Takumi figured he hadn't heard yet and decided to let him know the details behind that really quick. "Oh, they approached me to try and get me to join their school, I said no, we dueled, I beat them, I liked the way they dueled, we became friends, I'm not joining LDS. Got that?" He got a relieved nod. "Good. Anyway. Not only that, but I also practiced against them occasionally, and other students would watch that. As a result, I occasionally get challenged by some of the other students. Especially those that are trying to learn how to consecutively summon with one or more summoning techniques. I just got another one, and I don't want to keep them waiting."

"Can I-"

"No Sora, you can't come."

"Ehhhh?" At Sora's expression, Takumi couldn't help but let out a small laugh. If it was when they had first met, maybe that face could have worked. But after seeing his deck?

"Haha! Sorry Sora. But some of these guys are gonna be in the Championship, and are often practicing with a new deck. In the off chance that one of you guys winds up an opponent, I don't want to bring along any spectators. You understand that much right?"

"I guess… Okay. Just be sure to win. I want to be the one to beat you after all!" Sora's mood picked up a bit at that.

"Sorry guys. I'll let you know when I'm on my way back!" As he took off in the direction of LDS, everyone wished him luck in his duel.

Even though there wasn't one.

Yes, the stuff about the challenges were real, and he was helping others get the hang of the different summoning techniques. It's just that the message never said anything about a duel. Takumi looked back at the message and read what it said again.

Takumi Shou  
If you still wish to discuss what you learned last night, now would be a good time to talk. Come by my office. Someone will see you up. Also, do not ask Masumi, Yaiba, or Hokuto what happened just yet.  
-Reiji Akaba

Takumi took off again, after sending a response back.

After about 10 minutes, he was there. He walked in and approached the front desk. "Hi. I'm here to speak with Reiji Akaba."

The receptionist typed a few things into a keyboard. "Takumi Shou?" He nodded. "Very well. Wait here a moment." Takumi then took a nearby seat and waited, thinking over everything that has happened so far. After a minute, a voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Takumi?" As he looked up, he saw the guy in the security outfit from last night. "My name is Nakajima. I'll be taking you to Reiji's office."

"Okay. Lead the way." After of 5-10 minutes of navigating halls and taking elevators, they entered a large room. The back wall was nothing but window, and across from it a large screen could be seen, currently off. Near the window, a desk sat, and several couches surrounded a table in the middle. Sitting behind the desk was Reiji, looking through some data.

Takumi moved to the couches and laid down across one. "So. What sorts of things are going on here? Because I find it hard to believe there is a war going on and no one is even aware of it."

Nakajima went to say something, but Reiji raised his hand and turned off the desktop screen. Nakajima went to the door as Reiji left the desk and sat down on the couch opposite of Takumi. "First of all, thank you for coming. You haven't mentioned anything yet, have you?"

Takumi dragged a hand across his face. "After the logic you gave and the deal to hear more first, how could I. So you better convince me completely, because I hate lying."

Reiji adjusted his glasses then crossed his arms. "Very well. Then to answer your first question, no one knows about the war because it hasn't even come to this world yet."

Takumi sat up at that. "Wait, backup. THIS world? How many are there?"

"Four." As Takumi's eyes widened, Reiji continued. "This world is divided into 4 dimensions. It is unclear as to why, but each world is divided by summoning method. Fusion, Synchro, Xyz. Ours is Standard. In each of the dimensions, the home method is strongest. For example, duelists from Xyz would be more capable of using it than those from Standard." Reiji gave him a moment to process that.

And boy did he need to. '4 WORLDS!? Of all the explanations I had thought up, that never even REGISTERED as a possibility!' Takumi took a deep breath. "Okay. 4 worlds. Normally I'd be a little skeptical, but for the sake of your explanation, I'll believe it for now."

"Thank you. Now, as for the war, I don't have too much information on that myself. Which is why I asked for more information from someone you already met. He should be in here soon." As he said that, a knock could be heard.

As Takumi looked to the door, he saw Nakajima opening it for Shun. As they locked eyes, Shun gave Takumi a glare, getting him to sweat-drop. Shun then walked up to Reiji. "I'll accept your terms for now. I'll duel in your little competition."

Reiji nodded to him. "Thank you. Now then, I was hoping you could shed some light on what sort of war was happening."

Shun looked between them, Reiji with a calm, unreadable expression, Takumi with a nervous, yet determined look. He clenched his fists, before he began to talk.

"Fine. You are aware of the multiple dimensions, correct?" 2 nods. "Then this will be easier to explain. I come from the Xyz dimension, and my home was the city of Heartland. There, dueling was nothing more than a game, a means to have fun and evolve yourself as a duelist. Then one day, everything changed…"

Shun went on to explain the horrors that occurred, about how soldiers from the Fusion dimension appeared, using the thing Xyz loved as a tool for war. About how they turned anyone who opposed them into cards. About how they turned even non-duelists into cards. How they turned their home into a ruined wasteland. How they had to harden their hearts and show the same level of ruthlessness that was shown to them just to survive.

Takumi listened, horrified, on how the game he loved could be used for such a means. 'The things he must have seen… The friends he's lost… What would I have been in his shoes…?'

Shun then mentioned how one day, his sister (who for some reason had the EXACT same face as Yuzu) had disappeared, and how they found out that Fusion was responsible. So he and his friend, Yuto (who Takumi learned was the guy from the alley with Yuzu), used some of the interdimensional tech they looted from Fusion soldiers, to go looking for her. They wound up in Standard, and began searching for their next move. When Shun learned Reiji's name, he decided to take him hostage for an exchange, thinking that Leo would do anything to protect his son. And so he decided to start attacking LDS personnel in order to flush him out, leading us to now.

"There's something I still don't get." Shun and Reiji looked to Takumi, as said person moved his attention to Reiji. "Why is it that the leader of a faction IN ANOTHER WORLD is also your father? And why are you fighting him?"

Reiji closed his eyes for a few moments, then opened them and responded. He told them about how years ago, his father became obsessed with his research, then disappeared. How he later on found that his father had created trans-dimensional technology and had traveled to Academia and how he followed him there. And about the things he learned there. And finally, about his decision to oppose his father's plans.

Throughout it all, Shun and Takumi were silent, with Takumi reeling from all that he heard.

When he finished, he looked at them with a thoughtful expression. "Anything else you wish to ask?"

Takumi recalled something from the message. "You mentioned that I shouldn't talk to Masumi or the rest about Shun. Why?"

Reiji adjusted his glasses. "In order for Reiji to take part in the Championship, certain measures needed to be taken. As a result, we have altered their memories."

Eyes widened to their limits, Takumi shot up off of the couch, standing with hands on the table between them. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?"

"Only for the events concerning Shun. The rest of their memory remains the same." Reiji didn't even react to the outburst, while Shun looked at Takumi warily.

Takumi just stood there, an unreadable expression on his face. "… What about me then? Why are you telling me about all this? Do you plan to change my memories as well?"

Reiji simply looked him in the eyes, face just as unreadable. "No. In fact, I want your support." At Takumi's shocked face, Reiji tapped the table in a certain spot, activating a keyboard. After typing a few things, data appeared on the main screen, drawing the attention of both Takumi and Shun. "This is data recovered from some of your duels. From this, we have gathered that your ability to Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Summon is a match to anyone from the other dimensions, as proved by your duel with Shun last night." Reiji then crossed his arms as Takumi looked back at him. "I won't ask you to join LDS as a student. You made it clear in your duel against Masumi and the rest where your loyalties lie. What I will ask however, is that you lend me your strength when the time comes, and that you do not reveal any of what you have learned to your friends until they become aware of the situation. Otherwise, you are free to do as you wish."

"So you honestly expect me to carry on as if there ISN'T a DIMENSIONAL WAR going on?"

"…Yes."

Takumi looked at him with another unreadable expression, before he walked over to the window, looking out over the city. While Shizukawa will always be his home, he has come to enjoy being in Maiami. He's made some great friends and had some crazy fun in the short time he's been here. 'Shun's home was completely destroyed… What would happen if… if the war came here…?' Takumi clenched his fists, as images of everyone he knew were being attacked and turned into cards went through his head.

Reiji and Shun watched, as Takumi took a deep breath, then turned to them with a determined look on his face, far beyond anything Shun has seen before on him. "… Alright then. I'll keep quiet for now. But mark my words, the MOMENT that they hear ANYTHING about what's going on, I'm coming clean to them. I don't like lying to them." Reiji nodded in agreement. Takumi then walked up to him. "Good. In that case… you have my support. BOTH of you." Takumi looked at Shun, whose face was in an expression of surprise. "I get that you don't trust me right now, but like I said in the duel: I don't have to be your enemy. I promise you, that I will help in any way that I can to help you get your sister back!"

Shun looked at him for a minute, assessing his demeanor. "…Hmph. Fine then. Just don't get in the way."

Takumi just smirked at him. "I think I can manage that."

"In that case…" They both looked back at Reiji, who was adjusting his glasses once more. "We should take this time to decide how we proceed from here.

* * *

After a while of planning, Reiji, Takumi, and Shun all agreed on a course of action. Takumi will act as if nothing was going on and continue as usual, while simultaneously looking out for strong duelists that may be willing to lend a hand. Shun meanwhile, will act as a member of LDS and take part in the Championship through them.

Over the next week, Takumi spent the majority of his time with Yuya and the guys from You Show (The party they promised Sora was AMAZING! Complete with delicious cake.), while still going to LDS to spend time with the now clueless trio and getting to know more about Shun. Now that he was able to understand Shun's hate of Fusion and his trouble trusting others, he was able to see some of Shun's good qualities underneath. He even spent time around him, respecting when he didn't feel like talking, the both of them just standing off to the side of the crowd or relaxing in the corners of the room.

Shun was reluctant at first, but quickly learned exactly how determined Takumi was at showing him that he wasn't an enemy. Over time, Shun just let it be, being able to at least admit that Takumi was strong, and potentially a worthy ally. He still didn't trust him much, but it was a start.

Meanwhile, everyone at LDS was surprised. Due to their (fake) memories of Shun, he was known as being unapproachable and unwilling to talk with really anyone. He still avoided everyone else, but Takumi was now the only person that Shun even put up with. When asked about how he did it, Takumi would only ever say something along the lines of "Sorry, but I promised not to say."

Before anyone knew it, it was time for the Championship.

* * *

Takumi was with the rest of the You Show crew, listening to Shuzo give a speech in front of the van about how proud he was with everyone, and exactly what kind of opportunities would come up from simply taking part in it. (Takumi made sure not to give away what he really knew about what would be happening this year.)

As they all clambered onto the bus everyone was excited for the upcoming tournament, when Yuzu noticed something.

"AAAHH!"

Shuzo looked back at her from the driver's seat. "Y-Yuzu? What's wrong?"

"Dad… Where's Yuya!?"

"Eh?" At that, everyone noticed that Yuya was nowhere to be seen, and started to worry. Takumi wasted no time getting off the bus, with Shuzo being worried about that. "Oi, Takumi! Not you too!"

"He was just here, so he can't have gone far! I'll track him down, and meet you at the stadium!" Takumi ran off, picking a direction, leaving the others behind.

After he tried calling Yuya, getting no response, he called his next option. After a few rings, he received an answer. "What is it?"

"Hey, I need to find Yuya before he misses the opening ceremony! How fast do you think you'd be able to find him?"

"… One moment." Takumi waited for a minute. "…We have an idea on where he might be. We'll send the location to your disk."

"Thanks." Takumi ended the call and followed the map on his disk. 'Say what you will about him, but Reiji can certainly come through when it comes to people who catch his interest.'

After a little running, Takumi found Yuya next to his mom on a bridge. "Oi, Yuya!"

Yuya and Yoko looked in his direction in surprise. "Takumi? What are you doing here?"

"Well when you disappeared on everyone, I ran off looking for you. I wound up climbing the highest thing I could to find you!" ('God, I am getting TOO good at making up lies on the spot.') "So what are you waiting for?! We gotta get to the stadium before the opening ceremony!"

"AH! That's right!"

"Not to worry." Takumi and Yuya looked at Yoko, who had a sunny smile on her face. "I can get you there in time."

Takumi looked over at Yuya, and saw a nervous expression. 'Wait, what is there to be nervous about?'

* * *

[Later, at the Stadium]

'Forget I asked…' Takumi was never getting on a vehicle with Yoko ever again. Sure, she got them there with plenty of time to spare, but she dove as if she has experience in a biker gang! 'I should really learn to expect anything from the people associated with Yuya…'

After Takumi got his sense of balance back, he followed after Yuya into the Stadium. Yuya spotted everyone first and ran up to them. "Ah, there you guys are! Oi! Yuzu!" Meanwhile, Takumi hung back a bit, still recovering slightly, and letting Yuya have a chance to apologize to everyone.

When he looked back up, he saw Yuya had bumped into someone familiar… 'Wait, that's the guy from the park!' Realizing this, he noticed the way that the kids and Yuzu looked frightened at him, while Yuya looked angry. Looking around, Takumi had an idea. He then smirked, and went to have a slight amount of fun.

"I'll never accept that someone like you beat Strong Ishijima!" Gen then lowered himself and pointed a large finger to Yuya. "How about I crush you right here and prove what a pushover you are?" As he enjoyed Yuya's expression, he felt a tap against his shoulder, and a familiar voice from behind him.

"Hey!"

Gen, feeling a disturbing sense of Déjà vu, looked behind him, and saw Takumi there, a foolish grin on his face. Eyes widening in realization, Gen backed away from the others in shock, with a hint of fear. Everyone who was watching the interaction watched in surprise, not understanding what happened, while everyone in You Show were amazed at how Takumi managed to scare Gen so much, with Sora and Yuya the only ones who didn't know why.

Takumi meanwhile, just kept grinning at Gen. "Long time no see! Let's see, your name was…" Takumi then held a hand to his chin in pretend thought. "Men? No… Mean? No that's not it either. Hmmm, what was it?" The kids and Sora started giggling at Takumi's antics, who was making sure he was loud enough for all observers to hear, while Gen was steaming.

"IT'S GEN!"

"Oh right! Temper Tantrum Gen! That was it! Man, how could I forget?" Sora was outright laughing at the nickname, while even Yuzu and Yuya started giggling.

Gen got even angrier at that. "Shut up! You want me to teach you a lesson too!?"

Takumi then put a confused look on his face, head tilted slightly. "Teach me? What could you teach me? After all, I beat you in a duel on my first turn!" Takumi ended his sentence with a smirk, causing everyone within earshot to start snickering at Gen.

Gen looked around the room and quickly realized what Takumi just did. This apparently made him angrier than ever, as he rounded back at Takumi. "WHY YOU LITTLE-!"

"That's enough, Ankokuji Gen!" A large hand then placed itself on Gen's shoulder, and everyone looked to reveal Gongenzaka standing behind him, looking very annoyed.

"Gongenzaka!" Yuya looked happy to see his friend there.

Gen turned his face away, closing his eyes with a smirk. "Heh. Calling a senior disciple by his name, are we?" He then looked back, a very arrogant look on his face. "You must be a real big shot now, Gongenzaka!"

"You are no longer my senior!" The two of them simply looked at each other, having something of a stand-off. It was so intense that Takumi could have sworn he heard thunder from somewhere. The tension was cut off when the intercom announced that it was almost time to start, and for everyone to line-up in the predetermined areas.

Gen shrugged off the hand. "Heh. At least try to stay in the tournament until I crush you!" He then started walking off.

"You got it T.T.G.!" Takumi couldn't resist one last hit, causing Gen to turn long enough to glare at him, before leaving. 'Wow. I'm pretty glad looks can't ACTUALLY kill. Still, that was fun.'

"To think we'd meet him here…" Takumi turned to Gongenzaka and Yuya, each with serious expressions on their faces. 'Guess they both have history with him.'

Yuya then turned to Gongenzaka, a smile on his face. "Gongenzaka! You qualified for the tournament, right?"

Gongenzaka gave his friend a smile. "Yeah! I, the man Gongenzaka, made the 60%-win-rate qualification right before the entry deadline!"

"Really? That's great! Great job!" Yuya and Gongenzaka clasped hands at that.

"That is pretty awesome!" The two then looked back at Takumi, just now remembering what just happened.

"Oh right! Takumi, how do you know Gen?"

Takumi blinked, then raised an eyebrow in thought. "Wait, did we never tell you? That was how I ran into Yuzu and the rest. Gen was picking on them, I got in the way, and beat him in a duel. After that they invited me over to You Show. You probably know the rest from there." He ended his sentence with his hands behind his head.

Before anyone could even respond to that, they heard Nico announcing the start of the ceremony. They decided to leave it at that and watch the opening until it was their turn to head out.

As everyone watched the participants from LDS walk out onto the field, Takumi saw Masumi, Yaiba, and Hokuto, all looking confident in their chances of winning. After a few more moments, he also saw Shun walking out, still as moody as ever. He then heard a pair of gasps from the side, and looked to see shocked faces on Yuya and Yuzu's faces.

"He's…" "Why is he in LDS?!"

"Eh?" They then looked at each other, confused that they each knew the same person.

"Wait, so you know him too Yuya?!"

"Yeah… He attacked members of LDS's top team right in front of my eyes!" 'Wait WHAT!? Dang it Shun, why did you make yourself so high profile!?'

"Huh?" Yuzu's eyes widened in shock.

Before anyone could even comment on that, they were told it was time to start moving, and they went out to the field, accompanied by the intro from the announcer.

{"And next, the talk of the town with their entertainment dueling, You Show Duel School!"} Takumi could just make out the cheers and encouragement coming from Yoko and Shuzo. 'Man, I feel kinda bad for Yuzu to have a dad like that.' {"You Show Duel School's Yuya Sakaki is becoming a household name with his new summoning method, Pendulum! We'll be keeping our eyes on him during this tournament!"} Takumi noticed Yuya glancing over to the box that Reiji was watching from. 'Right, they dueled once already and it was interrupted. Better be careful what I say...'

After everyone was addressed and commended for getting this far, Nico took the podium once again. "Next, we will be conducting the oath of fair play! The player's representative this year is… YUYA SAKAKI!"

Everyone's attention quickly moved to the freaked out entertainer. "Huh?! ME?! Wait a second, I never heard about this!"

"Yuya Sakaki, to the stage please!"

"Heh?" Behind Yuya, a couple of staff members moved to "guide" him there. Yuya saw them and tried to back off, only for Takumi to mercilessly push him into their arms with a smile on his face. "Knock `em dead Yuya!"

"TAKUMI YOU TRAITOR!" Yuya shouted just before he was being carried off to the stage. When Takumi turned around, he saw questioning looks on the others.

He shrugged his shoulders with a smirk. "Oh come on, we all know he had no chance of getting out of this." That earned sweat-drops and uneasy laughs from everyone. Except for Sora, who laughed a little more honestly.

"Yuya, if you're a man, pull it off in one go!" Gongenzaka shouted to him from his area.

After Yuya was tossed mercilessly onto the stage, Nico said a few words of encouragement to him, and he began to give the speech. Though apparently, he was a little tense from the suddenness. (Takumi was having a pretty fun day so far.) Yuzu managed to get through to him, and he took a moment to collect himself.

He then spread his arms out with his usual smile and started with the words that always got the excitement started. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Pardon me for my earlier mistake. In order to turn that around, this is the oath of fair play!... Is what I'd like to start off with, but I would like you to listen to what I have to say instead."

Takumi then listened to what was perhaps the most inspiring and emotional speech he had ever heard, as Yuya told everyone his intentions and dreams for dueling. As everyone applauded Yuya for his words, he simply rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment. As Yuya walked back to everyone, Takumi couldn't fight off the massive grin on his face.

"So. Still think I'm a traitor?"

Yuya deadpanned at him. "Yes." Then a smile split across his face. "But thanks for the push."

"Anytime!" They bumped fists, then turned their attention back to Nico.

"Now then, we will now announce the first matches! All competitors, please put your registration cards into your Duel Disks! They will tell you who your opponents are!"

Takumi wasted no time putting his card in his disk. 'Let's see. My opponent is… Kimiko Kuromitsu, from… wait what?'

"Sawatari!?" Takumi looked up and saw the shock on Yuya's face.

He then took a peek at the picture on Yuya's disk. "Wait, the guy with the attitude from LDS. Wow. Good luck dealing with that guy. He drives even MY patience." Yuya gave him a nod.

"Mine is… Masumi?!"

Takumi looked to Yuzu's disk. "Oh awesome! You two get a rematch!" He'd heard from both sides about how their last duel had gone, and already felt excited for the revenge match!

"Y-yeah…" Yuzu didn't seem too enthusiastic about it. "And in the afternoon too…"

"Mine is tomorrow." Takumi and the rest looked over to see Gongenzaka walking up to them.

"Who's the opponent?" Gongenzaka showed them his opponent, getting a sound of shock from Yuya and Yuzu, while Takumi simply looked curious. "Oh, Temper Tantrum Gen. That's quite the coincidence."

"Yeah… It must be fate…"

Takumi looked over to the kids. "Mine's right after this!" "Mine's right after that!"

"Alright! Today we'll be cheering for Futoshi, Ayu, and Yuzu!"

Tatsuya looked over to Sora and Takumi. "What about you guys?"

Sora answered first. "It's tomorrow. My opponent is from LDS."

Takumi looked over at him. "Who is it?" When Sora revealed his opponent, Takumi's eyes widened. "No way! You got Shun!"

"It's him!" 'Dang it again Shun! Couldn't you have had a LITTLE restraint before!?' Takumi looked back at the surprised shouts from Yuya and Yuzu. Yuzu looked very focused on the image with the name, as if she were remembering something. "So this is Shun Kurosaki…"

"Yuzu Hiiragi, seems you're my opponent." Everyone looked over to the LDS section, and saw the Trio looking at them.

Takumi put his hands on his hips and grinned at Masumi. "Oi, Masumi. How many times have we talked about you guys playing nice?" Yaiba and Hokuto snickered at her, but quickly stopped when she glared at them.

Yuzu then took a step forward. "Masumi, tell me! Why is Shun Kurosaki listed as an LDS member?"

The Trio then looked at her confused. "What are you talking about? He's been a part of our group from the start." Takumi was just able to keep a level face. 'Wow. I STILL can't get used to how effective the memory alterations were.'

Yuzu and Yuya meanwhile, couldn't believe what they heard. "Huh?!" "From the start…?"

"It's true." They all looked to Takumi, who shrugged his shoulders. "At least as far as I know. I started noticing him about a week back. After I saw what kinds of cards he uses, I started to hang around him sometimes when I visit LDS. Thing is, I'm the only person able to get through enough of his attitude for him NOT to just chase me off. And he STILL doesn't talk much." 'So glad I decided to practice that one for this very moment. Though it IS still pretty true.'

"No way…"

Yuya decided to think about all that at a later time, and looked at Takumi. "Anyway, when's your duel?"

"Oh right… Looks like it'll be just after Yuzu's." Takumi showed them his disk, revealing a girl with straight, long blonde hair, orange eyes, and wearing (of all things) a Shrine Priestess outfit. "Says her name's Kimiko Kuromitsu. And apparently, she's from the same Unno Fortune-telling School that Meiru is from."

"What was that!?"

"Yeah… Normally I wouldn't care much about a person's background, but if she's anything like Meiru is… haaa… That may get a little exhausting."

"You needn't worry about that." Takumi turned around to see Kimiko had approached him, looking just like the picture, except that her hair was in a ponytail. "I hope you don't mind me coming to meet my opponent before the duel. I just wanted to get a feel for what kind of person I'll be competing with. As for my ability to see predict the future, it isn't as good as Meiru's. And if it isn't that that worries you, then know that I won't be falling for you during the match."

Takumi gave a deep sigh at that. "Oh thank god. I don't know what I would have done if you suddenly started acting like she does around Yuya."

Everyone sweat-dropped, while Kimiko giggled a little. "Well, I can promise you that won't happen. That said, don't think you'll be able to win as if it were nothing."

Takumi grinned at her. "I'd hope not. A duel isn't fun if it's too easy!"

"Well I'm glad you'd think so highly of me. Well then, I shall see you in our duel." She then gave a small bow and walked over to where Meiru was, already trying to divine the abilities of her first opponent.

Takumi then turned back to the others. "So. Who's ready to see Futoshi's skills in action?"

* * *

Futoshi won his duel against his opponent thanks to his Sketch monsters. And while Ayu's Aquaactresses were beautiful, she wound up losing to her opponent, Reira. While she was bummed out at first, everyone managed to cheer her up. After that, Yuzu got her revenge match against Masumi and revealed the beauty of her Melodious Fusion monsters, allowing her to win the match.

Now, Takumi was getting ready for his own duel against Kimiko, after first sending a message back home, letting Mrs. Hasegawa now that his match was starting soon. He was going through his deck, making sure he had it set up the way he wanted it for today. For the last few days, Takumi kept getting the feeling that certain cards wanted a chance to duel, so today he obliged them. The others were giving him words of encouragement while he did so.

"Thanks for the support guys. Now hurry on and get to your seats. I'll do my best to put on quite the show!"

"We can't wait to see it!" "Good luck Taku-nii!" "Show them the hot-blooded spirit of You Show!" "Show everyone what kind of man you are!"

Takumi put his deck back in his Disk, shuffling it, and grinned back at the others. "You bet!" They then went to their seats and Takumi started heading to the field when the announcer began to talk.

{"And now we have our next matchup! Once again a member of You Show Duel School, TAKUMI SHOU!"} At the sound of his name, Takumi ran out with a massive smile on his face and waving to the audience, turning about to be sure that everyone can see him. {"Takumi is new to Maiami with little information about him, yet possesses an impressive 84% WIN-RATIO! Given the recent duel from fellow student Yuzu, I think we can expect quite the performance from You Show's latest addition to their roster! As for his opponent, please give a warm welcome to Unno Fortune-telling School's own KIMIKO KUROMITSU!"} Takumi looked at the other side, seeing Kimiko with a duel disk calmly approaching the duel arena. {"Considered to be one of the top 5 in her school, Takumi will have quite the obstacle to overcome, not to mention the school's knack for teaching their students how to anticipate and predict the flow of the duel!"}

Takumi grinned and waved to her. "Hey Kimiko! You ready for this?"

Kimiko gave him a soft smile, and bowed once again. "Indeed. Are you?"

"You know it!"

{"First up is the selection of the Action Field! The field for this duel is… CANYON PLATEAUS!"} The area then transformed into a large canyon, with dozens of stone platforms going up from the bottom. The one they started on was just big enough to maintain their distance from each other without being too close to the edge. The smallest ones Takumi could see were just big enough to balance on a single foot. They were all placed just close enough for people to be able to jump from platform to platform.

Yuya and the rest looked about the field that Takumi got, Shuzo feeling wary. "Hmmm, this field is known for having very few Action cards."

"And the terrain isn't very consistent. There are gaps and ledges everywhere you look." Gongenzaka had a hard look on his face. "Maneuvering this field will be difficult…"

"He'll be fine." Everyone looked to Sora, who was licking a lollipop. "First of all, his level of physical ability will make traversing the field pretty simple. And even then, his monsters are perfect for helping him get around."

"Yeah! I can't wait to see what Takumi plans to show everyone today!" Yuya's excitement got all the others excited for the match.

Takumi looked on in wonder at the field they got. 'Yes! This is a field I can really have fun with!' He then grinned back at Kimiko. "Alright. I'm feeling pretty good right now, so I'm gonna give you the first turn. And no, I don't care about giving you such an advantage. After all, the bigger the hurdle, the greater the payoff!"

"Why thank you. Now then, shall we?"

"We shall!"

Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters.

They storm through this field!

Behold!

This is the latest and greatest evolution of dueling!

Action… DUEL!

* * *

Sorry to cut off just before the duel, but the chapter was becoming pretty long, so I decided to cut off here. Anywhere else and people would get much more irritated. I'll put up the chapter with the actual duel as soon as I can. Until then, be sure to let me know how I'm doing and if you have any ideas you think I could use.


	8. Fighting Fate

As promised, the duel. I own nothing.

"Talking"

'Thought'

" _Summon chant/whispering"_

 **OC card first appearance**

{"Announcer"}

* * *

Action… DUEL!

Kimiko: 4000

Takumi: 4000

The Action cards then scattered across the field, as Kimiko picked a card from her hand. "First, I'll set things up with the continuous spell Second Coin Toss, then summon my Arcana Force VII – The Chariot!" Appearing was a monster that Takumi had never seen before, looking like some sort of intelligent alien vehicle. "When an Arcana Force monster is summoned, I have to flip a coin. The result of the coin determines the effect of my monster." A coin then appeared in her hand, and she flipped it. She then looked at the result. "I see. It would appear the result is Tails, so my chariot would go over to your side of the field."

"Wait, you mean I get a monster already? I haven't even started yet!"

"Don't worry about that. I'll simply activate the effect of my spell card. While Second Coin Toss is in effect, I'm allowed to redo a coin toss effect once per turn, so I'll simply flip again." She flipped it. "Well now. This time the result is Heads. Now, when my Chariot destroys a monster, I can special summon it to my field."

"Wow. An effect to take my monsters… Your deck is already looking like fun!"

"Why thank you. I shall place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Alright. I draw! I activate Graceful Charity! I now draw 3 cards, then discard 2." Takumi looked through his new hand, and heard a call that filled him with strength. 'Alright then. You can be the first one!' "I summon the Necro Wing in my hand! And with his effect, I get to revive a level 4 or lower Winged Beast in my graveyard. And thanks to my spell card, I have just the one! I summon Sacred Crane!" As Necro Wing's power drifted into the ground, a beautiful white bird emerged, shining light off of its feathers. "And when Crane is Special Summoned, I get to draw a card!"

Kimiko looked on with wonder. "Incredible. That Crane of yours is indeed beautiful."

"Why thank you. Now then, if there is a Winged Beast on my field, I can Special Summon **Blade Wing** from my hand!" Appearing was a red bird similar to Necro Wing.

 **Blade Wing: Winged Beast-type/Fire/Union/level2**

 **ATK: 900 DEF: 0**

"And now, I tune the level 2 Blade Wing and level 4 Sacred Crane to my level 2 Necro Wing!"

Kimiko's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Oh? So you can Synchro?" As she and the audience watched, Takumi's birds flew up above, with Necro Wing becoming 2 rings for Blade and Crane to pass through. As they did, they became 2 and 4 stars respectively, and a pillar of light shined through.

" _Wielding the power of thunder and the speed of lightning! Gather the storm clouds and strike down all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Descend, the symbol of my courage! Level 8! Strength of the Trinity, Ki-Rai!"_

As Ki-Rai appeared, it gave a loud cry, astounding everyone with the strength they could feel pouring off of it.

Everyone at You Show looked in awe of the powerful Synchro Takumi had summoned, Yuya being the first to comment. "He never used a monster like that in our duel!"

"First I've seen it as well. Might even be stronger than yours, Gon-chan." Gongenzaka narrowed his eyes at Sora's words, watching Takumi's monster intently.

Meanwhile, Shun was watching from the shadows of one of the halls. 'So he really can use all the summoning techniques…'

{"INCREDIBLE! Takumi has decided to kick things off by using Synchro to bring out a POWERHOUSE of a monster! Can Kimiko manage to counteract it?!"}

As Ki-Rai landed for Takumi to hop on, Kimiko looked impressed with the monster Takumi had summoned. "Incredible. For you to be able to Synchro a monster like that and still have 5 cards in your hand… You must be quite the incredible duelist."

"Why thank you! Now then. When KI-Rai is Synchro Summoned, I can deal damage to my opponent equal to 400x the number of Synchro materials used to summon him. Since there were 3, you now take 1200 points of damage! Also, whenever my opponent takes effect damage, Ki-Rai gains ATK equal to the damage! Static Discharge!" Ki-Rai then flew up with Takumi on its back, and charged its wings with electricity.

But before it could release it, Kimiko had jumped to another platform and grabbed an Action card that was sitting mostly under a rock. "I discard a card from my hand to activate my face-down, Rainbow Life! Until the end of this turn, anytime that I would lose life points, I gain them instead!" As she discarded the Action card, Ki-Rai's lightning was released. It then struck a rainbow barrier, nullifying it and sending light particles to Kimiko.

Kimiko: 4000 – 5200

Takumi blinked in surprise. "Well darn. I didn't expect that. Oh well. I'll settle for destroying your monster then! Ki-Rai! Attack with Devastating Storm Strike!" The Thunderbird then rose up high, and charged himself with electricity. When the energy formed an arrowhead, it charged at Chariot.

But right then, a powerful beam of light shot down and held them back! "Sorry Takumi, but I'm afraid I anticipated your attack. My second trap card, Lumenize, negates your attack, and then I can increase the ATK of one LIGHT monster I control by the ATK of your monster until my next End Phase." A second beam of light then shot down over Chariot, doubling its size!

1700 – 4500

{"AND KIMIKO SUCCESSFULLY COUNTERS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY STRENGTHENING HER MONSTER TO AN INCREDIBLE 4500!"}

"Oi, oi, Are you serious here?!" Takumi looked at the monster before him, holding a look of both shock and awe. "Alright then. I play 2 cards face-down and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw. I attack Ki-Rai with Chariot!" The Chariot then fired numerous blasters at Ki, who attempted to dodge them. But there were too many, and they eventually hit, causing an explosion. Everyone looked in shock as they saw Takumi falling past the platforms.

"I activate my face-down, Swooping in! I negate the damage and summon the Shield Wing in my hand!" His green avian then appeared and caught him by the arms, hoisting him back up to one of the platforms. "Thanks pal." Shield wing gave a low cry in response, before crossing its wings defensively.

"Not bad. However, Chariot's effect now activates. I now take control of your monster." As she said that, a portal appeared behind her, and Ki-Rai appeared from it. Chariot then fired beams from some of its blasters and bound Ki-Rai, even as he struggled to escape. "And according to the effect of your monster, you now take damage for every Winged Beast I control. Since the only one on my field is Ki-Rai, you now take 200 damage. He then increases his own ATK for every point of damage dealt." Chariot's bindings then glowed, as Ki-Rai's topazes shined. His crown then sent a small burst of electricity at Takumi, who just shrugged it off.

Takumi: 4000 – 3800

2800 - 3000

{"AND TAKUMI IS NOW THREATENED BY HIS OWN MONSTER! How will he react to this situation!?"}

"Well this isn't good." Sora and the rest watched intently as Takumi's Synchro was stolen by his opponent.

"Now I'll use your own monster to destroy your Shield Wing. Ki-Rai! Attack!" Chariot then directed Ki-Rai to reluctantly attack. As it collided with Shield Wing, the target monster simply bounced back. "Oh? What's wrong? Shield Wing should be gone now."

"Simple. Shield Wing can avoid being destroyed in battle up to twice per turn!"

"I see… Alright then. I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn. This returns my Chariot's ATK to normal."

4500 – 1700

"Alright." 'Hang in there, big guy. I'll get you back.' "I draw!" As he saw the card he drew, a massive grin appeared on his face. "Yes! I activate De-Synchro! I can now return Ki-Rai to my Extra Deck and summon all of his material monsters!" The spell then shot out and destroyed the bindings on Ki-Rai, allowing him to then shoot back into Takumi's Extra Deck. "Get some rest big guy. I now revive the Necro Wing, Blade Wing, and Sacred Crane in my graveyard! And with the effect of my Necro Wing, I revive the second Sacred Crane I put in my graveyard!" The next thing anyone knew, Takumi had a full field, holding 1 green, 1 black, and 1 red "Wing" monster and 2 Sacred Cranes all in front of him. "Now my cranes, grant me your blessings! When these cards are Special Summoned, I can draw 1 card for each!" The 2 monsters then flew up and about, showing off their beauty as they rained light particles about the field.

All around the stadium, people were staring in awe of the incredible display. Ayu's cries of joy could be heard even from where Takumi was down on the field, as he drew the cards provided to him. "And now, these beautiful birds of mine shall receive assistance from my remaining monsters." The mentioned monsters then flew up with the cranes, performing a few maneuvers with them, exciting everyone once more! "Now you all have already seen my Synchro, so now I shall amaze you all once more! I use my level 2 Necro Wing and Shield Wing to build the overlay network!"

Kimiko snapped her attention away from the display to what he said. "Wait, Xyz!?" At this, the green and black birds split off from their maneuver and dived into a galaxy-like portal, which also absorbed some of the light particles the Cranes were still releasing.

" _Slip through the cracks in reality, reveal the truth to the ignorant, and spread thy star-fill wings! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 2! Mythic Wing Locus!"_

As the silver bird appeared, it threw off the particles gathered from the Cranes, resulting in a magnificent display not unlike a firework! Everyone watched the arrival of the Xyz monster with awe, not expecting him to be able to use more than one summoning technique. In fact, he could barely register over the cheers of the crowds the presence that he could feel wishing to be brought out next.

'Don't worry, I'll bring you out in a moment.' Takumi grinned at the crowd's excitement. "For every overlay unit my Locus has, his DEF increases by 300!"

1200 – 1800

"Now, I will ask for the help of my friends once again! I now use my level 4 Sacred Cranes to build a second overlay network!" Takumi's Cranes continued to scatter light, even as they dived into an Xyz portal!

" _Majestic avian with the beauty of falling snow! Dance with your kin, and release the arctic winds that bring all to their knees before you! Xyz Summon! Soar through the skies, the symbol of my will! Rank 4! Soul of the Trinity, Ao-Yuki!"_

As Takumi's second Xyz monster of the duel appeared, it too released the same particles that Locus did, only at a much larger scale due to how much larger she was, and amplified further from how the light reflected off of her sapphires. All around, the audience was enraptured by the breath-taking appearance of the Icebird.

The whole gang watched Takumi's monsters, entranced by their appearance. Ayu was practically squealing in joy while Futoshi couldn't stop shivering at the display.

"Hmm. That one looks the other 2 do."

"Huh? What 2?" Yuya looked at Sora questioningly, who just grinned knowingly, apparently not sharing.

Kimiko was in a similar state of awe as she gazed upon the monster before her. "Incredible… The fact that you can even use 2 techniques is already surprising. But to summon a monster like this…"

Takumi smiled at her. "Why thank you. And it's not over yet. Let's GO!" He then ran to the edge of the platform and jumped right off, not even trying to land on a platform as he began to plummet.

As the audience watched in shock, some of his friends calling out his name out of fear, they saw Ao-Yuki flying underneath him, getting him to land on her shoulders. She then took him far above the platforms with Locus and Blade Wing in tow, as Takumi laughed for all he was worth. "I now use Blade Wing's effect and equip him to Ao-Yuki! This gives her 500 ATK!" The red bird then turned into energy and sent itself into the crystals on the Icebird's wings, causing them to shine even more!

2000 - 2500

As he flew upon Ao-Yuki, his 2 Xyz monsters began to fly in a pattern, mesmerizing the crowd with the beauty brought forth by star-filled wings and shining sapphire feathers. None could avert their eyes from the display. Even the announcer was unable to say anything! After a few more moments, Takumi decided that he should keep the duel going.

"I now summon Vanguard of the Trinity from my hand!" As the avian appeared, Ao-Yuki and Locus leveled off and flew side-by-side, with locus on the left and Vanguard keeping up on the right. "I activate Vanguard's effect! I now take half of Locus' ATK points and transfer them to Ao-Yuki!" Red energy then seeped out from the tip of Vanguard's spear and dived through Locus, then shifted to Ao-Yuki.

1200 – 600

2500 – 3100

"Battle! Vanguard of the Trinity! Attack Chariot!" Vanguard then diverged from the rest and dive bombed towards Kimiko's monster. The Chariot attempted to fight back, but none of its shots were able to land a hit on the descending avian, allowing it to strike it dead-on with the spear, destroying it.

Kimiko: 5200 – 5100

"Now I attack your face-down with Ao-Yuki! Also, I should probably mention that a monster equipped with Blade Wing can inflict piercing damage! Arctic Gale!" As Vanguard went back into position on Takumi's right, Ao-Yuki sent a flurry of snow-filled wind at Kimiko's set monster, revealing a jester-like monster with 0 DEF points!

5100 – 2000

"Urgh! By the effect of Arcana Force 0 – The Fool, it cannot be destroyed in battle!"

{"AND WE HAVE ANOTHER TURNAROUND! IN JUST A SINGLE TURN, TAKUMI HAS RECLAIMED HIS MONSTER, XYZ SUMMONED TWICE, AND ELIMINATED OVER HALF OF KIMIKO'S LIFE POINTS!"}

Takumi guided Ao-Yuki closer to Kimiko for a bit. "Having fun yet?!"

What greeted him was a massive grin. "More than ever!"

"AWESOME!" And with that, he was soaring again. "I end my turn, ending Vanguard's effect!"

600 – 1200

3100 – 2500

"I draw! First I play the spell Court of Justice! Next I activate the spell Card of Sanctity! This lets us each draw until we hold 6 cards each!" As she and Takumi filled their hands, Kimiko looked pleased with the hand she drew. "I now activate the effect of Court of Justice! Since I control a level 1 Fairy-type monster, I can special summon 1 Fairy-type monster from my hand! Come forth, Splendid Venus!" Appearing from a pillar of light was a large angelic figure, possessing a powerful aura. "While Venus is on the field, all non-Fairy-type monsters lose 500 ATK and DEF!"

Takumi only smirked back. "Sorry, but so long as Ao-Yuki has overlay units, my monsters are immune to the effects of my opponent's monsters!" A cold wind then blew around Venus, cancelling out its aura.

"In that case I'll simply summon my Arcana Force VI – The Lovers! I now flip a coin to determine their effect!" A coin appeared in her hand again that she quickly flipped. "Heads! Now my monster may be used as 2 tributes to summon an Arcana Force monster! I now offer up my Venus and my Lovers as the necessary 3 monsters!" Her 2 monsters then turned into energy and formed into a portal. "I Special Summon the binder of shadows, Arcana Force EX – The Dark Ruler!" Appearing was a mechanical looking monstrosity, complete with 2 dragon-like heads coming from its back and 4000 ATK and DEF points!

{"INCREDIBLE! Now Kimiko has her own powerhouse on the field and an OVERWHELMING strength advantage!"}

"I now flip a coin to determine his effect!" Another flip. "Tails. However, I'll use my Second Coin Toss to flip again!... This time the result was Heads! Now my Ruler has the power to attack twice per turn! Battle! Attack his Vanguard!" As she hopped on top of Dark Ruler, it then pursued Takumi and his birds, charging energy in one of its dragon mouths.

"I activate the effect of Ao-Yuki! Dance of the Northern wind!" Takumi's birds then began to move in tandem, surrounding and confusing The Dark Ruler. "Once per turn, when a Winged Beast battles while Ao-Yuki has overlay units, I can reduce the ATK of the opposing monster during the Damage step by the combined levels and Ranks of all Winged Beasts I control! I have 6 Ranks and 4 levels, so Ruler loses 1000 ATK!"

4000 – 3000

"Still not enough! Ruler! Attack now!" Ruler then fired a beam straight at Vanguard.

"I activate the third effect of Ao-Yuki! By using 1 overlay unit, I can protect Vanguard from destruction!" Ao-Yuki then sent an overlay towards Vanguard, exploding into a wind barrier just before the attack hit! "Grgh!"

Takumi: 3800 – 2600

3000 - 4000

"I can still attack again! So what will it be? Keeping your Vanguard, or losing your last overlay unit?!" As Ruler began to charge another attack, Takumi thought over his options, until he heard a cry from his right. Looking, he saw Vanguard watching him intently, before nodding.

Understanding its decision, Takumi nodded back. "I choose to keep my last overlay unit, so the second attack will destroy Vanguard!" As the blast hit, Takumi was shaken by the resulting blast. "Argh!"

Takumi: 2600 – 400

"… Why did you choose to let your monster be destroyed?"

"Because he told me to."

"Eh?"

Takumi looked back at the pursuing Kimiko, a determined grin on his face. "He told me that I should let him fall for now. After all, I respect the wishes of my friends. So if my friend tells me to trust them, I will, because I will always find a way to make their efforts worth it!"

Kimiko looked on in shock, before she let a smile grace her face. "Very well then. After Dark Ruler has attacked twice with his effect, he switches to Defense mode! I set 2 cards face-down and end my turn!" Ruler then shifted the positions of its heads to be able to better protect Kimiko.

"I draw! I activate the effect of Locus! Once per turn, I can take a special summoned monster on the field and turn them into an overlay unit! Graviton Pull!" Locus then split off and shined light from its wings over Dark Ruler.

"I activate the counter trap Ultimate Providence! I now negate the activated effect of a card by sending one of the same type to the graveyard from my hand! I discard the monster card Arcana Force I – The Magician, to negate the effect of Locus and destroy it!" A beam of light then came down on Locus, suppressing its effect and then destroying it!

"Crud! In that case, I use Ao-Yuki to attack The Fool and deal piercing damage with Blade Wing!"

"I activate my second face-down! Spirit Barrier! So long as I control a monster, all battle damage I take is reduced to zero!" As Ao-Yuki's attack flew towards the monster, a barrier appeared around it, blocking the worst of the attack.

"Double crud! Alright then. I place 2 cards face-down, and summon my Protector of the Trinity in Defense mode!" The shield-bearing avian flew next to him.

{"Takumi is forced to go on the defensive! How will he turn this situation around!?"}

"My turn! I switch Dark Ruler to Attack mode! Now go after his Ao-Yuki!" One of the heads fired a beam at the Icebird, only for Protector to intercept with his shield!

"While Protector is on my field, my opponent cannot select any other cards for an attack. And while he's in Defense mode, he cannot be destroyed in battle!"

Kimiko smirked. "So you think you blocked me off then? Very well. I now activate Cup of Ace! I now flip a coin. If Heads, I draw 2 cards! If Tails, you draw 2 cards!... Looks like Tails, but I still have my Second Coin Toss in play! I flip again!... This time the result is Heads! I draw 2 cards." She then grinned at the cards she drew. "I set 2 cards and end my turn!"

"My turn!... Alright! First, I summon the tuner monster Mist Valley Shaman! Then I activate the effect of Blade Wing and Special summon him to my field!" As the mystical monster appeared, Blade Wing manifested once again and flew next to Protector and Shaman. "Ao-Yuki's ATK points now return to normal!"

2500 – 2000

"Time to bring back someone you might recognize! I now tune my level 3 Protector and level 2 Blade Wing to my level 3 Mist Valley Shaman!

 _Wielding the speed of lightning and the power of thunder! Gather the storm clouds, and strike down all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Descend, the symbol of my courage! Level 8! Strength of the Trinity, Ki-Rai!"_

As Takumi's Synchro reappeared on the field, it released another thunderous battle cry, causing Kimiko to lose her balance slightly.

"Ki-Rai was Synchro summoned using 3 materials, so you'll be taking 1200 points of damage! Think you can dodge it this time!?" Ki-Rai then sent lightning at her. She tried to navigate Dark Ruler to find an Action card, but she wasn't fast enough.

"Gargh!"

Kimiko: 2000 – 800

2800 – 4000

{"UNBELIEVABLE! TAKUMI HAS BROUGHT BACK HIS SYNCHRO WITH A VENGEANCE!"}

Kimiko meanwhile had a smile on her face. "Unfortunate, but not unforeseen. I activate the quick-play spell, Demise of the Land! When my opponent Special Summons a monster, I can activate a field spell from my deck!"

Takumi looked back in shock! "Wait, a field spell!?"

"Of course. There are no rules saying we can't play any Field spells with an Action Field in play." She then ejected a card from the deck and activated it. "I play the Field spell, Dark Sanctuary!"

As she played her card, a dark shroud began to surround them, quickly flooding the canyon to the edges of the platforms and even slightly above, obscuring them from view. The smog even began to rise into pillars, walls, and arches of its own free will. From the middle of the smog, a large structure began to rise. As it revealed more of itself, it looked like something a hoard of nightmares would call home, with numerous spiked protrusions going up or branching off. On top of that, all throughout the smog, large wide eyes opened up, peering out in every direction. All across the stadium, the new addition to the field was creeping out the audience.

Ayu, Tatsuya and Futoshi were trying to hide behind the others, Yuzu tried to keep them calm, while the rest looked about the transformation to the field. Shuzo had a thoughtful look on his face. "Hmmm. It's true. There are no rules saying no one can play a field spell during an Action duel, but hardly anyone would think to do so!"

Takumi stared wide-eyed at the change before him, not expecting something like that from Kimiko. "Ooookaaayyy. That's a little different."

"I do hope my field spell hasn't scared you too much. After all, it is still your turn."

Takumi shook the shock away, focusing back on his turn. "Right, right. I guess I'll have to test out what that thing can do huh? Well then, let's do this guys!" As his birds then responded with a cry, they sped up, soaring higher and higher. "Once per turn, when a Winged Beast-type I control battles, I can reduce the ATK and DEF of the opposing monster by 100x the combined levels and Ranks on my field! My Rank 4 Ao-Yuki and my level 8 Ki-Rai add up to 12! So when Ki-Rai attacks Dark Ruler, it's ATK will become 2800! Go, Ki-Rai! Devastating Storm Strike!" Ki-Rai then charged itself with the electricity from its earlier effect, and covered itself with a sphere of electricity!

Yuya watched in realization. "If Takumi had used that last overlay unit on Vanguard, he might not have this shot at destroying Dark Ruler!"

"Wow. Guess that decision will pay off in the end." Sora kept licking his candy. "Unless..."

"I activate the effect of my Dark Sanctuary!" "Huh?" Kimiko smirked at Takumi. "When my opponent declares an attack, I can toss a coin! And if the result is Heads, I can negate your attack and deal damage to you equal to half the current ATK of the attacking monster!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"

A coin then appeared in her hand. "I now flip this coin. If it's Heads, you will take 2000 points of damage, and with only 400 left, you will lose. Let's see what happens, shall we?" She flipped it. Takumi watched intently from atop Ao-Yuki, as the coin continued to flip, and flip, and flip, before she caught the coin and revealed the result…

{"AND ITS TAILS! TAKUMI'S ATTACK CAN GO THROUGH!"}

"Not yet!" {"Eh?"} Takumi kept watching Kimiko, an expression of fear and excitement on his face. "After all… You still have that spell card!"

Kimiko smiled at him. "I see you paid attention. Yes, I will now use my Second Coin Toss to attempt again!" She flipped the coin once more, and this time felt even more pressured than before. "… Well now… It's heads."

Takumi's eyes widened from disbelief, as he heard a commotion from Ki-Rai. Looking over to him, he saw that the Thuderbird was being hit by beams of dark energy coming from the numerous eyes around it! As a result of one of the blasts, the energy it was readying discharged prematurely. And arched straight for him! The resulting blast created a smoke cloud large enough to hide both of his monsters, as the spectators watched on from worry.

Yuya and the rest tried hard to see through the smoke, while Shun simply waited for something to happen. Kimiko lowered her head in respect. "You were a worthy opponent…"

"Glad you think so, but I'm not done yet!" Opening her eyes in shock, she saw the smoke clearing to reveal Takumi still atop Ao-Yuki, with a blue version of the earlier "Wing" monsters floating before them, wings crossed defensively before them and glowing a soft blue. "When my opponent activates an effect that would deal damage to me, I can summon my Siphon Wing from my hand! And so long as she's on my field, any effect played by my opponent that would deal damage, instead increases life points by a similar amount! Which means I'm still in this!"

400 – 2400

At Takumi's counter, the entire audience was in an uproar, excited by how the duel kept going from one to the other! {"UNBELIEVABLE! FIRST, KIMIKO COUNTERS AN ATTACK THAT WOULD HAVE FINISHER HER MONSTER, BUT THEN TAKUMI MANAGES TO NOT ONLY SURVIVE IT, BUT TO REGAIN SOME MUCH NEEDED LIFE POINTS AS A RESULT! THESE 2 DUELISTS ARE CERTAINLY STANDING IN THE SPOTLIGHT TODAY!"}

Kimiko simply looked on astounded, surprised that he was able to recover so well from her card's effect. She then smiled greatly at Takumi. "Well aren't you a stubborn one! I admit that was pretty good!"

"Thanks! But it wasn't just me. It was all thanks to the monsters that I put my faith in, who also put their faith in me! Now then, I'm not done yet!" Takumi then pulled a card out from his hand that looked different from the rest. "You didn't think I'd been doing all this flying for nothing, now did you? I activate the Action card, Second Attack! Ki-Rai can now attack again! And this time, I like my odds of getting past your Sanctuary! Once more, with a vengeance! Devastating Storm Strike! And do to the effect of Ao-Yuki, your monster loses ATK equal to the combined levels and Ranks of all my Winged Beasts! And now that Siphon is out to play, the total is now 14!"

4000 - 2600

Once more Ki-Rai charged itself, and the lightning took the form of an arrowhead. As Kimiko ordered Dark ruler to land, she flipped a coin for the effect of Sanctuary, shocked to see Tails! As Ki-Rai charged after Dark Ruler, said monster grabbed Kimiko with one of its mouths and tossed her just before it was destroyed! Luckily, The Fool was able to catch her. "Thank you." She then got up and grinned at Takumi. "Well played. I never even saw you grab that action card! But my Spirit Barrier is still active, so my battle damage is zero!"

Takumi just grinned at her while flying. "I know. Now normally, Ki-Rai could attack every monster you control once each. But since your Fool can't be destroyed in battle, I'll just end my turn here. Your move!"

"Thank you, but before your turn ends completely, I activate my last face-down! Destiny Board!" As her trap revealed itself above her, a spirit made of white flames appeared, holding the letter "F" in its hands. "During my opponent's End Phase, I can play 1 Spirit Message card from my hand or deck. And while my Dark Sanctuary is in play, I can summon it as a monster instead of placing it in my spell or trap zones, allowing them to be protected by card effects that aren't Destiny Board! The summoned monster also cannot be attacked! I Summon Spirit Message "I"!" A second flame spirit appeared next to the first, this one holding the letter "I".

Takumi looked at them nervously. "Do I WANT to know what they're trying to spell?"

"F.I.N.A.L. As in the final turn. Because once I have assembled the entire message, the duel automatically goes to me!"

Takumi was shocked at that. "An instant win card?!" Takumi had never had the chance to go up against one! This duel was getting more exciting with every moment!

{"OOOOHHH! Now Takumi has to overcome the crushing powers of Destiny! How will Takumi pull ahead from this!?"}

Takumi looked at her combo with a grin. 'Thanks to her Fool and Spirit Barrier, her life points are safe. Even then, Dark Sanctuary and Second Coin Toss offer a good backup protection. And now she's able to just sit back and wait for her victory on top of that? Man… This girl is GOOD!'

"My turn! Draw! I activate another Cup of Ace! I now flip a coin!... Its Heads, so I get to draw two cards! I now play Raigeki! This will destroy every monster you control!" As Takumi looked up, he saw storm clouds gathering, preparing to strike.

But he just smirked from anticipation. "I don't think so! LET'S GO!"As the lightning arched down, Takumi grabbed an Action card from the edge of a passing platform and sent it to the graveyard, as his birds then maneuvered around each bolt just before they hit. "I discard 1 card to activate my face-down card, **Far Horizon!** During the turn that I play this card, Winged Beasts I control are unaffected by my opponent's spell or trap cards!" Takumi's birds then danced around the lightning as it tried to strike them down, once again drawing the crowd's excitement as some bolts missed by mere inches!

When the lightning calmed, Takumi brought his birds to hover before Kimiko, who had a bright smile on her face. 'Huh. Slightly out of place with the current setting.' "So. Got anything else for me?"

Kimiko shook her head and took the last card in her hand. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"In that case, since it is now the End phase of the turn after Ki-Rai boosted his ATK, it now returns to normal!"

4000 – 2800

"I draw!" 'Hmm. Nothing that will get me out of this yet. Then again, she needs three more cards in order to win. That means I should have 2 more turns to draw the card I need to win this. So for now…' "I switch Ao-Yuki to defense mode and end my turn!"

"The effect of Destiny board now activates. I now get to play a Spirit Message from my deck. But before I pull one out, I activate my face-down **Destined Pair!** With this, when a card effect would target a card, I may then select an additional target and treat it as if it were played by the effect of the first card! Now I can play 2 Spirit Messages instead of just 1!"

"WAIT WHAT?!" Takumi couldn't believe his ears OR eyes, as 2 more spirits joined the others, these ones holding the letters "N" and "A", and the 2 turns he had left to find the necessary card to win became 1!

{"And now Kimiko has sped up the countdown, giving Takumi even less time to find a way out than before! What will be the result of this climactic battle against Destiny itself!?"}

"I draw. I place 1 card face-down and end my turn. This will be your last turn. I hope you can make it count."

Takumi gulped out of nervousness, and gave a massive grin. "Me too. My turn. DRAW!"

"I activate my face-down, **Shattered Destiny!** I can now banish all of your face-downs and your entire hand by paying half my life points! Also, you cannot activate and cards in response to this card's activation! With this, your fate is sealed!" A powerful wind blew out, vaporizing Takumi's remaining face-downs and his entire hand, leaving him with nothing but Ao-Yuki, Ki-Rai, and Siphon Wing.

Kimiko: 800 – 400

Takumi was surprised, and looked for any sort of move he had left, as the rest of the observers looked on, wondering if he could turn this around. After a few moments, Takumi looked down, a shadow covering his eyes. "…Wow. Not bad. To think you had a card that would cut me off from the future itself."

Kimiko smiled to him. "Why thank you. You certainly have a quite a bit of skill yourself. I would have preferred to defeat you without using this card, but you truly are worth the effort required."

Takumi's eyes still couldn't be seen, but a small smirk did sneak its way onto his face. "Beat me?" Takumi then looked up, a look of exhilaration on his face. "I haven't been beat yet!"

Kimiko looked at him in confusion. "How so? There are no more cards in your hand nor on your field that can change anything."

Takumi just grinned at her. "When the future is unknown, one can always look to the past! I activate the effect of Necro Wing in my graveyard!" At this, some of the smog beneath Takumi began to swirl, as if a whirlpool were manifesting within the smog. "Once per duel, while this card is in my graveyard, I can banish 1 other Winged Beast-type monster in my graveyard. I banish Shield Wing. With that, Necro Wing can now revive! And with it, it can use its other effect to bring Sacred Crane back with it!" From the vortex, Necro Wing and Sacred Crane emerged in a mix of purple and white light! "And with Sacred Crane's effect, I can draw 1 last card! This is what I'm going to bet everything on!" As Sacred Crane flew up to him, it rained down particles of light down into his deck, and then he drew.

Takumi then heard the very thing that he was waiting for, a presence that was burning for a chance to come out, and didn't even need to look at the card he drew to know what it was. Smiling for all he was worth, he played it. "I activate the spell card, Polymerization!"

Kimiko was shocked. "WAIT WHAT?!"

{"WHAT IS THIS!? Is Takumi not just able to Synchro and Xyz, BUT EVEN FUSION TOO!?"}

"Time to complete the Trinity! I fuse my Sacred Crane, Siphon Wing, and Necro Wing!" The earlier vortex then intensified, and Takumi's birds dived into it for the fusion.

" _Lucky bird of fortune, join with the winged protectors of sea and shadow! Let the flames of passion burn within your hearts, and give rise to the eternal inferno of life! Fusion Summon! Emerge from the flames, the symbol of my hope! Heart of the Trinity, Aka-Ho!"_

The vortex burst in an explosion of fire, revealing Aka-Ho in all his glory, rubies shining and releasing a deep cry! As Aka-Ho flew up between Ao-Yuki and Ki-Rai, Takumi hopped from the Icebird to the Firebird. When they were level to each other, all three gave out a cry and got their gems to shine, astounding everyone with the appearance of the entire Trinity. They then flew about the field, the light from their gems causing the smog to be eaten away!

"This is it!" Yuya and the rest looked to Sora, seeing look of excitement on his face. "This is the card he used to beat me!"

Meanwhile, Shuzo had stars and tears in his eyes. "INCREDIBLE! NOW THIS IS A HOT-BLOODED MONSTER AND SUMMON!"

Shun kept watching, an unreadable expression on his face. 'This monster… It's a Fusion, and yet… I can't bring myself to hate it!? What is that card…?'

"Let's go guys! When Aka-Ho is summoned, every spell and trap in play is destroyed! Burn her defenses away, and destroy the Destiny Board! Wildfire Rebirth!" Aka-Ho then crossed its wings, as large amounts of flames flew around it. With a cry, it opened up its wings, sending the fire throughout the entire field! Everywhere you looked, fire was devouring the smog, restoring the field to what it was before. As for the castle itself, it was burning all over the place, the flames causing it to crumble. And what little smog didn't get touched by the flames, was quickly chased away by the Trinity flying about, gems shining brighter than ever and releasing small bursts of snow, electricity, and fire!

{"AMAZING! Takumi has managed to defy Destiny itself and take back control of this duel!"}

Meanwhile, Kimiko looked on in shock as she lost her instant win card and her defenses, leaving her with only The Fool in Defense mode. 'I didn't anticipate anything like this! But, I still have my Fool protecting me. Maybe I can still turn this around…'

"Now for every card I just destroyed, I'm allowed to summon 1 level 4 or lower monster from the graveyard!" Kimiko turned her attention back to Takumi, riding Aka-Ho with Ki-Rai on his left and Ao-Yuki on his right. "But I only need one. I revive my Blade Wing!" From the flames that still burned, the red bird then appeared, only for it to quickly turn into energy. "I now use his effect and equip him to Aka-Ho!" As he said that, Blade Wing turned once more into energy and seeped into the Firebird's gems, causing them to shine even more. "Aka-Ho now gains 500 ATK and the ability to deal piercing damage!"

2400 – 2900

Kimiko, shocked, looked around for an Action card, yet found none on the platform she had wound up on, which was too far away from any other platforms to be able to try jumping. As she looked back at Takumi, she saw him standing on the back of Aka-Ho, with Ki-Rai and Ao-Yuki hovering behind him. Dozens of fireballs the size of basketballs started to form around him as the rubies on the Fusion monster glowed. "So, Kimiko. Anything else you wanna try?"

She could only stare dumbly, in awe of the very presence of Takumi's monsters. After a minute, she gave another soft smile, and bowed. "Do as you will."

Takumi grinned at her for that. "Thanks. Alright Aka, time to end this!" The Firebird gave a call in response and flew straight up, taking the fireballs with it and forming yet more on the way. As it went above the highest point of the Stadium, it had what looked to be a hundred fireballs up in the sky. Aka-Ho then turned to look at Kimiko and her monster, then crossed its wings before it, waiting for the command. "Attack Kimiko's Fool! CLEANSING BLAZE!" Aka-Ho unfurled his wings with a loud cry, sending every fireball straight at the fool like a meteor shower!

As Kimiko braced herself for the attack, The Fool was caught in massive explosion, the shockwave sending her flying. "AAAARGGHH!" Waiting to hit the ground, she was surprised to feel herself being caught in something soft. Opening her eyes, she saw that Ki-Rai and Ao-Yuki had each wrapped her in their tail feathers in order to break her fall!

Kimiko: 400 – 0

Winner: Takumi

Aka-Ho then dropped Takumi off on the ground as Ki and Ao let Kimiko onto her feet. The 3 then flew straight up into the sky in a spiral, shining their gems brighter and brighter! When the systems shut down, they created one last batch of tri-colored fireworks, as Takumi gave a bow.

The stadium then began to shake from the cheers and applause coming from the audience! {"AND WE HAVE A WINNER! TAKUMI HAS DEFEATED FATE ITSELF WITH THE HIGH-FLYING POWERS OF HIS SYNCHRO, XYZ, AND FUSION MONSTERS!"}

As the crowd went crazy, Takumi walked over to Kimiko and held out a hand. "You're pretty good! That Destiny board almost had me there."

Kimiko smiled and shook his hand. "True. If it weren't for your Trinity, I could have won that. But today, you were the better duelist. I wish you luck in the rest of the Championship."

Takumi smiled. "Thanks!"

Shun watched everything with an unreadable expression, before walking away.

* * *

Since Takumi's match was at the end of the day, he met up with everyone outside of the stadium. "Yo! So, how'd I do?"

The kids immediately rushed him, talking so fast Takumi couldn't even keep up with the praise.

Yuzu managed to get them to calm down enough to give Takumi some breathing room. "Haha! Thanks guys!"

"Yuzu Hiiragi!" Everyone looked to the familiar voice, seeing Masumi with a determined look on her face directed at Yuzu.

"Masumi!"

Masumi then pointed a finger straight at her. "You better plan on winning after you've beaten me!" While everyone looked nervous about what was happening, Takumi watched relaxed as Masumi walked straight up to an uneasy Yuzu. "I wouldn't be able to stand losing to someone who doesn't even win the tournament! So, here…" Masumi ten fished out a card and handed it to Yuzu.

Yuzu, confused, took the card and was surprised at what it was. "This is… Crystal Rose?" Takumi smiled, recognizing it as the card Yuzu took from Masumi and used in order to help her win the duel. Yuzu looked back at Masumi in shock. "Why would you…?"

Masumi threw her hair back and smiled at Yuzu. "You'll need this card to shine again like you did in our duel today!" Yuzu looked at her in shock, mixed with joy. Masumi then turned to a smug looking Takumi. "What's with you?"

Takumi shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing. Just thinking back on how I keep on telling you three to play nice. Seems you have been listening to me a little."

Masumi closed her eyes, still smiling, and shook her head. "Whatever. Later!" She then turned to leave. "And Yuzu! I won't forgive you if you lose!"

While everyone gave their own reaction to the encounter, Yuzu simply put on a bright smile and waved to Masumi. "Masumi! Thank you! I'll be sure to shine even brighter!"

"Hahaha." Everyone looked at Takumi, who then looked at the rest. "So, guys. Didn't I tell you all that they weren't all that bad? I sure hope you believe me now!"

* * *

Once the Dark Sanctuary card came out I had the thought that Arcana Force and Destiny board could be an interesting combo. Am I crazy? Oh well. How's the duel? Let me know how I did!

And before anyone complains about some of the rules and effects, I'm using the anime effect of Card of Sanctity, The Lovers was indeed used this way in the GX anime even though it says tribute summon on the card, and later episodes of Arc-V have people playing Field spells during Action duels, so no complaining there please.

Other than that, I can only say thanks for reading. I had no idea how much fun this was before I started!

 **OC cards**

 **Blade Wing** : Winged Beast-type/Fire/Union/level2

ATK: 900 DEF: 0

If you control a Winged Beast-type monster, you can special summon this card from your hand. Once per turn, you can equip this card to a Winged Beast-Type monster you control, OR unequip it to Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position. While equipped by this effect, the equipped monster gains 500 ATK and can inflict piercing battle damage. (A monster may only be equipped with 1 Union monster at a time. If the equipped monster would be destroyed, destroy this card instead.)

 **Far Horizon** : Spell/quick-play

Discard 1 card. Winged Beast-type monsters you control are unaffected by your opponent's spell and trap effects until the End Phase.

 **Destined Pair** : Spell/quick-play

When a card effect would target a card, you may choose an additional target that fulfills the conditions.

 **Shattered Destiny** : Trap/normal

Pay half your life points; banish every set card your opponent controls and every card in their hand. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation.


	9. Truth

Alright, next chapter is finally ready. Had a little trouble trying to figure out how I was going to do this. Thank you for your patience.

* * *

The next day's matches were already going crazy! First, Gen tried to use underhanded methods to throw Gongenzaka off his game and make him lose, but Gongenzaka's spirit not only persevered, but allowed him the opportunity to Synchro Summon and win! After that, Yuya had a duel with Sawatari where he was put in a massive disadvantage with Sawatari's Pendulum monsters. But he came out the winner after using his Beast-eyes Pendulum Dragon. By the end of the duel, the entire audience was even more hyped than they were from Takumi's duel against Kimiko, and couldn't wait for the next match! Takumi and the rest were now sitting in the stands as it was Sora's turn to duel.

As he was walking out onto the field, everyone was giving their own cheers and encouragement to the Fusion user. Sora gave them a thumbs up and smiled. "Okay! I'll be sure to excite the crowd just like Yuya did!"

Takumi smiled at Sora's behavior. 'That guy never seems to run out of energy!' Takumi then stole a glance at Shun. 'That said, I'm gonna root for both of these guys.' Takumi frowned for a moment. 'Though, why would Reiji set things up for Shun to duel against someone from You Show? He's already encountered several of us before.'

Takumi listened with a poker face as Yuzu wondered about how Shun could be a part of LDS when he was attacking some of their members, and even mentioned that Masumi acted as if her memories were rewritten. 'Man… The cover-up is just as suspicious as the events before! These guys are going to figure out what happened pretty soon at this rate. I just hope they forgive me when they do…'

Yuya then brought up his own encounter, mentioning how Shun used Solid Vision to attack LDS, and shouted a warning to Sora to be careful.

Sora just waved back, as full of energy as ever. "Don't worry, I'll be fine! This time I'll entertain you, Yuya! Look forward to it!"

{"Today's third event starts now! First up is selecting the Field! The field this time is, City of the Future: Heartland!"}

Takumi was shocked at the name. 'Wait, Heartland? THAT'S SHUN'S HOME!'

{"This is the perfect stage for the two who will show us the future of dueling! Field On!"}

As everyone looked at the incredible city before them, Takumi looked back at Shun for his reaction. As Shun looked about the field, he saw a look that held recognition, pain, and lots of anger. 'That settles it. This field looks like a carbon copy of Shun's home! There is no way that this could be a coincidence. What is Reiji up to?' Takumi then widened his eyes in realization. 'Wait… Back in the alley… Reiji said something about a REAL Fusion user. If he meant someone from the Fusion dimension, and with how the duel was setup, then… No…'

As everyone cheered Sora on, Takumi could only watch in nervous anticipation, hoping that his suspicions were wrong. But as the duel played out, Takumi watched as his fears became reality…

* * *

[After the duel]

In the duel against Shun, Sora revealed his true character, and confirmed Takumi's fear of him being a part of the faction that waged war on Shun's home. He even admitted that they saw the people of Shun's home as nothing more than prey in their hunting games. The mere thought of it all had Takumi sick to his stomach.

Now everyone was outside of Sora's recovery room, after he had sustained some major damage from a falling building in his duel. Takumi sat in a chair, going through all that had happened before his eyes, barely listening to what everyone was saying.

'… How? How can someone like Sora… How could he be one of the bad guys?! But that's not all…' Takumi then got out of his chair and spoke to everyone. "Hey guys, I'm gonna go for a bit of a walk. I need to… process, all this." He then walked off as the others bid him well.

Takumi made his way through the LDS building and arrived at Reiji's office. He was sitting at his desk going through some data. Takumi walked up to the desk and fixed Reiji with a hard look. "… When?"

Reiji looked up at him. "When what?"

"When did you suspect Sora was from Fusion?"

"… Starting the day Masumi, Yaiba and Hokuto dueled you."

Takumi narrowed his eyes at him. "You've known about this… for close to 2 weeks… and didn't tell me that one of my friends was with the people who tore apart Shun's home."

Reiji adjusted his glasses. "We had been picking up strong Fusion readings over the course of the previous weeks, and they traced back to him. We were able to get our first visual on him when you dueled against him in the park. But while he did fit the criteria, I wasn't certain until he dueled against Shun, and revealed his true colors."

Takumi kept up his glare. "I'm still not hearing why you didn't tell me any of this."

Reiji looked Takumi right in the eyes. "… Before, you saw the logic in my motives and understood the importance of my actions. I ask that you do so this time as well. If I had told you... what would you have done?" Takumi looked to the side in thought as Reiji continued. "If you believed Sora to be part of a group that uses dueling in a way to wage war and torment others, your behavior around him would have been affected. You might have acted suspicious of him, possibly alerting him that his cover could have been blown, allowing him the chance to sabotage our efforts to prepare ourselves more openly. Or perhaps you may have confronted him, try to make him see reason. That could have provoked him into removing you in order to maintain his cover." Reiji then got up from his desk and walked to stand beside Takumi. "If you wish to hate me for keeping this from you, then so be it. But understand; this was the best course of action at the time."

Takumi was silent for a few minutes, not moving a muscle. "… Why did you make the Action Field into Shun's home?"

Reiji walked over to the window and adjusted his glasses. "… Something of a gift to motivate him. His duel against you was indeed impressive, but I needed a better gauge of his abilities. Seeing his home as it was before it was ruined… It would be the perfect thing to motivate him into using his full strength."

Takumi clenched his fists. "So that's it then? Are we nothing more than pieces in your game of chess against your father?"

Reiji looked back at Takumi. "Perhaps. But if so, you are invaluable pieces. Which means if I intend for you all to survive…" Takumi looked up at Reiji in surprise. "Then I need to know what you all are capable of. Lest I make a wrong move and you all pay for it. After all," He then looked back out of the window, at the view of Maiami lit up in the night. "I don't sacrifice my pieces, if I can find a way around it."

Takumi looked at him, speechless. As he processed all that Reiji said, the desk started to signal a call. Reiji then moved to answer it. "What is it?"

"Sora Shiunin has disappeared from his room." Takumi's eyes widened in shock. "We are putting together a search team to cover the entire city to find him as we speak."

"No. We are currently running a tournament. Don't make a scene."

"But sir-"

"First, use all of the city's camera's to confirm his whereabouts. I'll head to the observation room soon as well." He then ended the call and walked to the door. Reiji paused at the door and looked at Takumi. "I recommend you join me. I understand that you want to learn about the one you once called a friend, but now is not the time to confront him."

After a moment of thought, Takumi followed Reiji to the observation room. When they got there, they were met by Nakajima, Shun, and Reira. As Reiji took a seat in the command chair, Takumi looked around the room for the first time. "So this is where you watch the city from. Gotta say, it sure looks impressive."

After a few minutes, one of the operators got the attention of the group. "Sir, we have a visual on Sora Shiunin."

Nakajima turned to the man. "Location?"

An image of Sora appeared on the main screen. "Central Park."

"Send a team over immediately and capture him!"

Reiji watched the video feed intently. "Wait."

"Huh?"

Reiji continued to watch the field, noting the look in Sora's eyes. "Turn the camera to where he is looking."

The image quickly maneuvered to the main stage of the park and zoomed in on a figure that appeared there. Takumi recognized him as the masked guy that he ran into with Yuzu. Their back was turned so they couldn't see the face, but Nakajima seemed to recognize the figure. "That's…!"

They listened as Sora shouted at the figure. "Hurry up and get him! Shun Kurosaki!"

The figure turned their head to look at them, and Takumi could make out part of the face. 'That almost looks like…' Takumi's eyes widened as he saw the rest of his face. "Wait, why does he look like Yuya?!"

"That isn't Yuya." Everyone looked to Shun. "That is Yuto."

Reiji looked at Shun questioningly. "Yuto?"

Takumi recognized the name. "Wait, the comrade you came here with? You never mentioned he had the same face as Yuya!"

Reiji looked back at the screen. "I see. This would explain the eye witness report of Yuya attacking LDS as well. It was simply someone from Xyz with the same face."

Takumi looked confused. "But why? Why is it that both Yuya and Yuzu have lookalikes in the other dimensions? Is it just them? Are there others?"

Shun shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure why. Wasn't relevant enough to try to figure out. We were more focused on trying to find and save Ruri."

Reira watched the screen in worry, as Sora went back to making demands. "Hurry up and get Kurosaki Shun!"

Yuto responded calmly. "You want to fight Shun again with those injuries?"

"Yes! This time I definitely won't lose! To someone like him… Xyz scum are all destined to be hunted by me!" Takumi clenched his fists as he watched his friend spout hateful words. "You, Kurosaki… and even that Ruri girl you talked about!" Shun sucked in a breath in shock, while Takumi grit his teeth slightly. "There's no way I would lose to Xyz users! I'll prove to you that if I fight seriously, I'm the stronger one! If you're going to hide him, I won't show you any mercy! I don't know where that girl is, but… I bet she was turned into a card. Or maybe there might actually be a way to save her…"

Yuto looked at him in surprise. "What?"

Shun also reacted at Sora's words. "What way would that be?"

They watched as Sora smirked. "By destroying all of us!" Takumi's eyes widened in shock at his words. "But that's impossible for the likes of you, though."

Shun had had enough and began to walk out of the room. Nakajima looked at him. "Wait, Kurosaiki!"

Shun looked back at them. "Let me go!"

"No." Shun turned his attention to Reiji. "You'll only cause more of a scene if you go. And if this causes the Maiami Championship to end… my entire plan will amount to nothing." Shun's glare intensified. "Don't forget that this is a selection exam to determine which duelists are fit to fight against Leo Akaba."

"And besides." Shun looked back to Takumi, who was still staring at the screen. "Someone else is already about to fight him in your place." Shun looked back and saw Yuto had activated his disk.

They then watched quietly as the duel between Sora and Yuto progressed. Takumi was interested in the Phantom Knights monsters that Yuto used. 'They feel like the souls of the fallen, rising up to take vengeance upon the wicked.' Then he saw Yuto bring out what appeared to be his Ace monster. 'Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. It somewhat makes he think of Yuya's Odd-eyes. And the effect even affects level 5 or higher monsters like Odd-eyes does.'

As Dark Rebellion took down Sora's Frightfur Bear, they were surprised to see Yuya rushing to his side. Takumi's eyes widened at seeing his friend. "Yuya?!" He then watched in shock as Yuya tried to defend Sora in the duel.

Nakajima turned to Reiji. "Sora Shiunin is a valuable person who holds information about Academia! If we let this continue…"

Takumi continued to watch wordlessly, as Yuya summoned his Odd-eyes Pendulum Dragon. The moment it was out however, he saw a look of discomfort come across both Yuya and Yuto, just before their dragons started roaring at each other, waves of energy pouring off of them. "Wait… What's up with their monsters?"

Nakajima watched in surprise. "It's as if the two dragons are calling out to each other…"

They watched as the two dragons clashed, seeing more of Yuto's ability to set things in his favor, as the trap Yuya negated was activated through another card. They then watched as they learned about everything that Yuya had learned from Yuzu's interactions with Yuto and Shun. They then watched as Yuto and Sora began to reveal the truth about the four dimensions, and as Sora was just about to summon his strongest Fusion monster, his Duel Disk shut itself down and began to emit light. Takumi watched in shock, as Sora disappeared in a flash of light.

Shun was the first to comment. "He ran away back to his dimension."

Reiji kept his eyes peeled to the screen. "Rather than running away, it's more like…"

Takumi finished the sentence. "Like he was brought back forcefully."

Reiji nodded. "It was probably preprogramed into his disk. That when his true objectives were revealed, it would send him back.

They continued to watch as Yuto explained everything he could about the four worlds to Yuya, who was having trouble believing it. 'Can't blame him. Heck, when they explained it to me I didn't believe them at first. But after Shun explained what happened to him… Well… There are some things you just can't make up.' During Yuto's explanation, Takumi felt increasingly angry. He then noticed out of the corners of his eyes that Shun had a look of hate and pain on his face, remembering all that happened.

Suddenly, Shun felt something on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw that Takumi had placed a hand on there, eyes glued to the screen. There was a look of fury on his face, and some pressure being applied by the hand on his shoulder. It felt as if Takumi was trying to let Shun know that he wasn't the only one angry about the situation. He was surprised. He hadn't expected this level of anger from him towards a situation that wasn't his own.

As Yuto finished explaining what was going on, Yuya refused to simply accept that there were people who used dueling for war and invasion, when he himself knew it to be a means of uniting people with a smile. But just as Yuto was about to respond, a bright light displayed itself on the screen, and everything went to static.

Nakajima turned his attention to the operators. "What's wrong?! What happened?!"

"The circuit has been disconnected! All cameras in the area are not responding!"

"What?!"

Takumi had enough at that point and turned to Reiji. "I'm going to see what happened. I'll draw less attention than anyone you can muster since I'm Yuya's friend. Besides, they think I'm on a walk right now to clear my head. It won't be that strange for me to come across them in Central Park."

Reiji narrowed his eyes in thought. After a few moments, "Very well. Tell us what you find as soon as you can." Takumi nodded and took the lift out of the room.

As Takumi reached the park, he saw a bright light coming from the area that was beginning to die down. Hurrying his pace, he saw Yuya collapsed in the group, Yuto nowhere in sight but his duel disk laying in the grass, and Yuzu running up to him. 'What just happened here?!' He quickly and quietly snapped a picture of the scene and sent it to Reiji, before he got Yuzu's attention. "Oi, Yuzu!"

Turning to look at him, Yuzu's eyes widened. "Takumi?! What are you doing here?!"

"I was coming here as part of my walk. But that isn't important. What happened to Yuya?"

She looked back down at him. "I don't know… There was this light, then my bracelet shined again, and I saw Yuya kneeling on his knees. He collapsed just now!"

Takumi nodded. "Okay. Good enough for now. Help me get him on my back." After a minute, Takumi had Yuya riding unconscious on his back, and they started making their way to Yuya's home. 'I'll message Reiji more details after I can get some privacy.'

* * *

[2 days later]

Yuya still hadn't woken up.

After Takumi sent a more detailed message, Reiji asked him to keep an eye on Yuya's health and to keep what they knew about the situation hidden until they could hear Yuya's side of things. Takumi agreed after reminding Reiji about the condition. The moment Yuya could say his side of what happened in the park, Takumi would tell him everything that he could. Reiji mentioned a few things that shouldn't be revealed quite yet, but agreed to confirming everything else. Takumi still couldn't mention that the Championship was being used as a selection exam, nor Reiji's father's role in all this, but he could reveal everything else.

So Takumi kept an eye on Yuya as much as he could. He even laughed a little when Meiru came and tried to heal Yuya spiritually, especially with how Yuzu and Yoko managed to get her to leave by telling her that Yuya would have wanted her to win her match.

After a few more hours, Yuya seemed to stir a little, and he opened his eyes. Takumi smiled as Yuzu and Yoko became relieved at his recovery. Yuya looked tiredly at them, seeing Yuzu's face first. "Yuzu…"

Takumi smirked a little and left the room, leaving things to the mom and the friend. "Seriously, just ask each other out already." He then chuckled a bit and sat outside the door, sending a message to Reiji that Yuya was awake now.

After a little while, Yoko came out saying that she was gonna make some food now that Yuya was up. Takumi waited, trying to sort out how he was going to explain himself to his friends. After a little while longer, Yuya and Yuzu opened the door and looked at Takumi, eyes widened when they saw him. "Takumi? How long were you sitting there?"

Takumi smiled up at him. "Only since you woke up. I didn't want to intrude on you guys." Takumi then stood up. "So, how are you feeling?"

Yuya smiled back. "Much better than before." Yuya then looked down nervously, then back at Takumi. "Hey Takumi, can I ask for a favor?"

Takumi raised an eyebrow in question. "Sure. How can I help?"

"… I need to talk to Shun. Think you can get him to talk to me?"

Takumi's eyes widened slightly at the request. "…Does this have anything to do with what happened in the park?" At Yuya's look of surprise, Takumi continued. "I saw the condition of the place when I got there Yuya. I know something huge must have happened. Especially since I had to carry you here after you passed out."

Yuya and Yuzu then exchanged a look, then motioned for Takumi to go into Yuya's room with them. As he closed the door, Yuya and Yuzu went on to explain everything that they knew about the situation. From their encounters with Yuto and Shun, to how Yuzu's bracelet keeps shining whenever Yuto and Yuya were near each other around her, to everything that happened in the park. Including how someone from Synchro who also had Yuya's face appeared and dueled against Yuto, and how Yuto then entrusted Dark Rebellion to Yuya and vanished.

By the end of the tale, Takumi only had more questions than answers. 'Now SYNCHRO is involved in all this!? Seriously!? And why did Yuto disappear? It couldn't be like what happened with Sora, because the Duel Disk was just lying on the ground after that.'

"Pretty unbelievable, right?" Takumi snapped his attention back to Yuya and Yuzu, who were sitting on the bed and looked like they were waiting for him to call them crazy. Takumi was sitting on a chair in front of them.

"… Yeah, it is…" Yuya and Yuzu looked down sadly. "… But… nothing I haven't heard already…" Their attention then snapped back to Takumi, who had his head down in shame, eyes hidden by his hair.

"… Wha-… What do you mean by that?"

Takumi looked back at them, a look of determination on his face and regret in his eyes. "… Yuzu... Remember when I went chasing off after Masumi in that alley? When we were separated by the guy in the mask? I'm also figuring that was Yuto." Yuzu nodded slowly, not knowing where he was going. Takumi let out a sigh, looking down again. "Well… I didn't lose track of her. In fact, I found her. After she, Yaiba and Hokuto had all lost in a duel… To Shun." He heard a pair of gasps, but didn't stop. "After I saw what happened, I confronted him to try to figure out what he was doing and why. After a little while, Reiji Akaba revealed himself. He and Shun had an exchange and while I had no idea what they were talking about, I did notice when they mentioned wars and hostages. Reiji asked me then that I not reveal any of what I had learned from them yet until I knew all the facts. Or at least until I had all the facts that they had. The next day, when I went to LDS, it was because Reiji said that it was a good time to explain his reasons. That was when he and Shun told me about the 4 dimensions and the war that Fusion started. Reiji then told me that the less people that knew, the better they would be able to get ready to fight back when they eventually came here…"

Takumi waited for the outburst that was sure to follow. But all he got was a quiet response from Yuya. "…So you knew all this… and didn't tell us? Don't you trust us?"

Takumi shot up from where he was sitting, surprising them both. "Of course I trust you guys! Do you think I wanted to keep any of this quiet from you?! Yuzu, you invited me to You Show, where I had more fun dueling than ever before! Yuya, you let me into your home without hesitation when I didn't yet have anywhere to stay! I trust you guys and everyone from You Show with every fiber of my being!"

Yuzu was surprised at the outburst, but still seemed unsure. "Then why didn't you tell us any of this?"

Takumi looked down again. "Reiji convinced me not to tell you guys anything until you already knew. He was aware that nothing can be hidden forever, but he wanted to contain information about the dimensional war for as long as possible. The less who were aware of it, the more he could do to prepare for it. Allies he could recruit, strategies he could form, anything that could give us the edge that-" Takumi stopped and took a deep breath. "… The edge that Shun's home didn't have…"

Eyes widened in shock, Yuya and Yuzu then looked down sadly. After a few minutes, Yuzu looked back at him. "What about Masumi? If they really dueled against Shun, then why are they acting as if he was always a part of LDS?"

Takumi looked her in the eyes. "Apparently, Reiji wanted Shun to take part in the tournament. He wanted to see his full abilities for himself. But in order to arrange all that… he had to have the memories of Masumi, Yaiba and Hokuto altered."

"WHAT?!"

"And I have already checked myself! They are still the same people they were before; they just remember Shun as if he has been a long time member of LDS."

Yuya then had a thought, then looked Takumi right in the eyes. "Did you know about Sora?"

"No. Reiji made sure not to tell me his suspicions about Sora. In fact, the walk I went on was just an excuse so that I could confront Reiji and have him explain himself for not telling me that a friend I trusted was part of the hostile Fusion dimension. He told me that my actions would have been affected and Sora's actions would be impossible to determine. I absolutely hate it… But he was right. I would have either tried to catch a slip-up from Sora, or even confronted him. And then where would we be?"

They just sat around in silence after that. After a few minutes, Takumi stood up. "I'm… I'm gonna head out for a bit. You guys know how to reach me." He then walked out the room, went down the pole, and told Yoko not to worry about him as he headed out.

After a little while of wandering, Takumi called Reiji, who answered after a few seconds. "Yes?"

"… So… They know that I know."

"… I see. Did you learn anything?"

"Yeah…" Takumi then explained all he could about how Yuya's Synchro counterpart, Yugo, appeared, dueled against Yuto, and how Yuto disappeared afterwards, leaving his dragon with Yuya.

"Interesting. Thank you for the information."

"Yeah…" Takumi was just about to hang up when-

"Takumi." He waited. "… So long as you were sincere, they will forgive you eventually." Takumi was surprised to hear that from Reiji, not expecting him to try and cheer him up a little.

He was silent for a few moments, before a small smile crawled onto his face. "… Thanks. Even if you just want your one of your pieces thinking clearly." He then heard something of a "Hmph" sound, getting a small laugh from Takumi. "Alright, I'm gonna try to enjoy the last few matches of the day. Talk to you later." Takumi hung up and made his way to the stadium.

When he got there, it was Hokuto's match. Takumi watched with a smile as Hokuto summoned his Constellars and won the match. Takumi decided to meet up with the trio and headed to where he thought they would meet up together. After a minute, he saw them. "Hey guys! Nice win Hokuto!"

They turned at the sound of his voice and smiled at him. Well, Hokuto smirked. "Right! Now you see exactly how skilled I am!"

"Dude, I always knew you were skilled. You just gotta work on your humility." Yaiba snickered at Hokuto from Takumi's words. Yaiba then turned his attention to Takumi.

"So, how's Yuya?" Takumi had told them before that Yuya had passed out for unknown reasons, which was why he was spending a little less time with them lately.

Takumi smiled at Yaiba. "Actually, he finally woke up a little while ago. We still don't understand exactly what happened, but right now everyone's just happy that he's moving again."

The others smiled at that. "Good! I wouldn't be able to forgive the guy if he didn't give me a chance to avenge my loss to him with the full power of my Xyz monsters!" That got a laugh out of everyone.

Before Takumi could say anything else, a short, red-headed blur went right by him. 'Huh?' As Takumi and the others turned where the blur went…

"Darling!" Takumi was surprised to see that it was Meiru, running to a recovered Yuya and his friends. When Yuya saw at Takumi, his eyes widened and Takumi looked down a little.

Meiru took no notice of any of this as she put all her attention on Yuya. "You've finally awoken, Darling! My prayer… the prayer I risked my life for…" 'She risked her life in a duel?' "It really worked!" She then jumped straight for Yuya, aiming for his lips with her own…

Only for Yuya to side step and get her to fall into a roll down the hall.

As the rest watched her roll, Yuya walked up to Takumi and they stared at each other for a bit. Then, Yuya smiled and held a hand out to him. "Thanks for carrying me home after I passed out."

Takumi was shocked, surprised that Yuya seemed ready to forgive him already. He looked at Yuzu to see the same smile of understanding, and then looked back at the expectant Yuya. Smiling back, Takumi gripped his hand. "What are friends for?"

"Well alright then!" They both turned to look at Yaiba. "You both are just in time for my match! You guys better watch. I'll be sure not to disappoint!"

* * *

[Later]

Once again, Takumi saw a duel that made him sick to his stomach, as Yaiba's opponent beat him mercilessly in their duel. And not just with monsters either. He physically PUNCHED and KICKED Yaiba and used a lot more martial arts maneuvers to keep him from being able to fight back! By the end of the duel, Yaiba was being carried away in a stretcher!

After that, everyone found out when their next match would be. Takumi's was scheduled to be after Yuzu's in 2 days, while Yuya and Gongenzaka were the first matches tomorrow. When Yuya saw that his next opponent was going to be the same guy that beat Yaiba to a pulp, he swore that he would never recognize that way of dueling, and that he would bring out his opponent's smile.

As everyone left the stadium, Takumi went with Masumi and Hokuto in order to check up on Yaiba to see how bad it was, but not before he told Yuya and Yuzu that if they still wanted to talk to Shun, then he'd see what he could do.

Now, Takumi was with Masumi and Hokuto as they stood around Yaiba's recovery room, trying to cheer him up. He wasn't in the mood though. "Guys, I'm not in the mood for this! Look at what that JERK did to me!" His outburst got Masumi and Hokuto to quiet up, not sure what to say.

"Exactly." They all looked to Takumi, who for some reason had a proud smile on his face. "Think about it. He went so far as to physically hit you in order to win. Doesn't that mean that he relied so much on his martial prowess, that his skills as a duelist are a joke?" Their eyes widened at Takumi's logic. "See! You didn't lose a duel, you lost a fight! If that were a straight up duel, I bet you would have wiped the floor with him! So stop being so mopey about this. Got it!"

There were a few seconds of silence, before Masumi and Hokuto turned at the sound of chuckling coming from Yaiba. "Hahaha… Yeah! That guy wouldn't have stood a chance if he weren't trying to hit me all the time! His dueling abilities are centuries behind mine!" Yaiba held his uninjured hand out to Takumi. "Thanks for the reminder. I needed that."

Takumi clasped his hand with his own. "No problem."

"Takumi." They turned to the door, and were surprised to see Shun there. "Come with me for a bit."

Takumi blinked. "Uh, sure. Where?" Shun just walked away. Takumi shrugged and turned to the others. "Sorry guys, but this is LITERALLY the first time he's ever asked for me. Not gonna take this for granted. See you guys later!" Takumi ran out to catch up to Shun.

Shun then lead Takumi through the usual halls. "So. I'm guessing this has something to do with Reiji. Unless of course you had something to say to me. Or maybe even both. So which is it? A, B, or C?"

Shun stopped walking and Takumi looked back at him. "… Do you know what happened to Yuto? Ever since the night at the park I have been unable to get in touch with him."

Takumi folded his arms. "I know a little, but nothing to tell you exactly what could have happened." As Shun's look intensified, Takumi let out a sigh. "Apparently, that burst of light from the camera was from someone crossing dimensions. This time it was a Yuya/Yuto look-alike from Synchro apparently, saying his name was Yugo. Yuto dueled him, lost, and disappeared. No he didn't appear to be carded, he just… vanished, somehow."

Shun looked furious at that. "Where is the look-alike!? WHERE DID HE GO!?"

"I have no idea! Apparently he disappeared just before I got there! You think I would try to make this kind of thing up!"

Shun clenched his fists in anger. After a few seconds, he let out a sigh and started walking again. Not 100% calm, but at least 50%. Takumi followed him to Reiji's office and where he left him at the door, walking away without another word. But before he could get far-

"Hang on." Shun stopped and looked at Takumi. "Yuya was wondering if he could talk to you at some point. He wanted to talk about the multiple dimensions. All I'm asking is that you consider it." Shun stared at him for a few moments, then walked away.

Takumi opened the door and walked in. The place looked like it usually did, but this time there was what looked like a microchip on the table in the middle of the room. Reiji was sitting on one of the couches staring at it with arms crossed. "How is Yaiba?"

"Wouldn't you know? It is your facility."

"…"

"… Haaa… He's doing better. Physically he's a wreck, but I did manage to lift his spirits some before Shun got me. Speaking of…" Reiji nodded and they went on to business.

* * *

The next day, Takumi was walking around town, checking the new systems that Reiji fitted into his disk. Supposedly, it would now allow him to do several things. 1. Create small scale Real Solid Vision constructs like Shun's and Yuto's. 2. Create an Action Field on a similar scale. 3, and this is what he was trying to do now. Track down duel disk readings that possess coding not affiliated with LDS. The idea is to be able to track down either potential allies hiding from the war, or spies trying to sabotage their efforts. They had received a couple of readings that suggested that there might be more such individuals that just arrived in the city.

For testing purposes, the individual systems could be turned on or off. Right now, Takumi just had the tracer on. The limited range was a bit of a problem, but Takumi made it better by climbing buildings and checking from the roofs.

Suddenly, a blip appeared on Takumi's screen. He followed it to a space in between a couple of buildings. Looking down, he saw Hokuto being pushed into a corner! His assailant wore a cloak that covered most of their face as well as hid their body shape. Takumi couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl. He then took notice of how Hokuto was beginning to panic and the figure held their duel disk up at him.

Takumi jumped down into the alleyway between Hokuto and the robed duelist, activating his disk and getting them to jump away from Hokuto, who was shocked at seeing Takumi. "Takumi!?"

"You can direct any questions you have to Reiji after we get out of this, got it!" When Hokuto nodded, Takumi then turned his attention to the robed duelist, now seeing enough to tell it is a girl, and that the hood just barely hid her face. "So, care to tell me why your attacking an innocent bystander?"

The robed figure smirked, and prepped their disk. 'Guess that wasn't gonna work. Alright then. Let's test out the new feature.' Takumi hit a button with his left thumb and pulled a card out and played it. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon!" As a powerful wind blew through the alleyway, the robed figure braced themselves against the wind. When the wind died and they opened their eyes, Takumi and Hokuto were gone!

She looked about for any hiding places they could have been in, then gave up angrily and walked off. Meanwhile, Takumi looked down from the rooftops while Hokuto lay next to him and tried to calm his racing heart. After the robed duelist was gone, Takumi let out a breath of relief. "Okay, looks like we're safe. And that the small scale system works fine so far. How're you doing Hokuto?"

"What…*wheeze*… just… *wheeze*… happened!?"

"Better to let Reiji explain that than me. Come on."

* * *

Once they got to Reiji and Takumi had explained what happened, Reiji set up a place for Hokuto to lay low for a little while. Takumi was now watching from the observation room as Yuya's match was beginning to start. Normally, he would be doing this from the stands, but Reiji had wanted to check the data from the field test of the new systems. While they were doing that, Takumi decided it would be best if he stayed a little nearby.

Besides. The main screen in the observation room got ALL the best angles of a match!

Before the duel began, Takumi turned at the sound of the lift and saw Shun walking up next to him. They both turned their attention to the screen, displaying Yuya and his opponent, Isao Kachidoki, as they walked out onto the field. "I didn't think one of Yuya's duels would catch your interest."

Shun shrugged his shoulders. "You said he wanted to talk to me. I thought I should see what kind of person he was myself first."

Takumi nodded in understanding. "Fair enough. Just to warn you though, he apparently has the kind of opponent who doesn't worry about seriously hurting their opponent. This is likely to get pretty rough." Shun narrowed his eyes and no further conversation was struck as the duel began.

The duel was just as bad as it was for Yaiba, with Isao repeatedly beating the crud out of Yuya whenever he went after an Action card. And when Isao brought out his own Fusion to take down Yuya's Beast-eyes, Shun started to feel pissed with Takumi not far behind. That was when Takumi saw something in Yuya snap. The look on his face and the tone in his voice made it seem like he was a different person entirely, as Yuya then used Pendulum to Xyz summon Dark Rebellion!

"What?! Why does Yuya have Yuto's Dragon?!"

"… According to what he told me, Yuya was able to remind Yuto about what you guys used to believe about dueling, that they were meant to be used to bring people joy instead of pain. And as he faded away, he entrusted Yuya with his monster."

They watched the rest of the duel in silence, as Yuya used the powers of Dark Rebellion in order to severely weaken Isao's monster and bypass its effects, winning him the duel. Afterwards, it was as if Yuya had woken up from a spell, regretting everything he had just done. He tried to apologize to Isao, but got nothing.

Takumi and Shun were silent, each thinking about what they just witnessed.

"How was the duel?" They turned and saw Reiji going up the lift into the observation room.

"I wouldn't call it good, but Yuya won." At Reiji's raised eyebrow, Takumi motioned towards the room. "Go ahead and check the last few minutes yourself. I'm going to go check on him." Takumi stepped onto the lift and saw Shun approaching him with determination, but stopped him with a hand held up. "If you plan on interrogating Yuya about Yuto then save it. He's not going to be in the right state of mind for that, and I'm not about to let you make him more depressed." With that, he left a stunned Shun and a curious Reiji in the observation room.

* * *

Yuya was depressed all throughout the day, and no one was able to cheer him up. Yoko even fixed him up a special dinner trying to get through to him with his stomach, and nothing. Takumi felt bad about not being able to help his friend, and was lying in bed feeling bad for his friend, staring at the ceiling.

"… Now what? Yuya's depressed, assailants are on the streets, and I have no idea what I even should be doing anymore." From the corner of his eyes, he caught a soft light coming from somewhere. Turning his head in confusion, he saw that the light was coming from his deck.

Getting up, he picked up his deck and pulled out the source of the glow. "…? You three… What's going on?"

He then heard a deep voice coming from behind him. "Think he can hear us now?"

Takumi quickly turned his head and couldn't believe what his eyes were showing him. "Wha-!" For there, just standing on his bed, were miniature, see-through versions, of Aka-Ho, Ki-Rai, and Ao-Yuki.

Ki-Rai then seemed to smirk and lept up to fly. "FINAL-!" He was then cut off as Aka-Ho and Ao-Yuki were each grabbing him with their talons by his tail feathers, stopping his words and flight, resulting in him hitting the ground.

Ao seemed to giggle as Aka smirked at Ki. "Why yes Ki, I think he can hear us now. But you don't need to frighten the poor boy."

Ki-Rai got up off the floor, shaking off the impact, before flying up to Aka's side. "Right, sorry. It's just that this was taking too long to be able to do!"

"Perhaps. But that doesn't give you the right to simply fly up to him shouting."

"… I still don't have that under control yet, don't I?"

"You'll get there."

"If you 2 are done discussing Ki's habits…" They both turned to Ao, who was smirking herself. "Perhaps we can get to why we're here?" She then held out a wing in the direction of Takumi, who was watching all this with wide eyes and zero motion.

Aka-Ho moved forward slightly. "Right. Hello Takumi. It is nice to finally meet you. And not as a card."

Takumi blinked. "… Small…"

The trinity exchanged a few looks between them, and looked back at Takumi. "Excuse me?"

Takumi blinked twice. "You're all so… small…"

Silence. Then Takumi was surprised from the laughter that poured out from Ki and Ao. "HAHAHAHAAA!"

As they continued to laugh, Aka just stood there with a smile. "Really? That's your take from all this? How small we are?"

"W-well just a few days ago you guys were big enough for me to ride! Now you're, you're the size of parrots!" And it was true. They were small enough to ride around on his shoulders!

That earned an even bigger bout of laughter from Ao and Ki, the latter of which had fallen onto his side. Even Aka chuckled a little. "Haha, true enough. To be honest, we were expecting something more along the lines of 'I didn't think you guys would be real.'"

"But you are real." They all calmed down and looked at Takumi. "After all, you guys were already talking to me, right? Sure you didn't use words, but you did show me images and said some calls from your cards. If I didn't believe you guys were real, then I'd have to be thinking that I was going crazy."

Ao then flew up to land on Takumi's shoulder. "Impressive. You really are different from most humans. Now I have to ask something." She then got right up in his face. "Did you like the performances I gave?"

Takumi smiled. "Are you kidding! You were amazing every time!"

"YAY!" She then flew around the room happily, getting a few laughs from Takumi.

"She's been wanting to ask you ever since you got her card." Takumi looked back at his bed to see Aka and Ki watching her smiling.

Takumi blinked. "So, why ARE you guys so small?"

Aka-Ho smirked at him. "Well, we didn't exactly feel like trying to squeeze ourselves into this room. We wouldn't really fit very well, now would we?" Takumi gave nervous chuckle as he sweat-dropped. "Also, this is just as natural for us as our larger forms."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Think of it this way; We're basically Hope, Courage and Will personified, yes?" Takumi nodded. "Well, ever hear the expression, 'a little hope goes a long way?'"

Takumi blinked once. Twice. Thrice. "… You gotta be kidding me."

Ao landed back on his shoulder. "Nope. And the same goes for courage and will too. As such, we can appear like this when we want to say hi."

Ki landed on the other shoulder. "Though I do admit, I prefer the larger form. It's better for fighting."

"Oh hush brother, not everything has to be about fighting."

"Says the girl who only likes to dance about."

"Better to cause smiles than to cause pain."

Takumi laughed at them. "Sorry Ki-Rai, but I gotta agree with her there."

He shrugged. "I will concede that point. By the way, you don't need to be so formal with us. You are our keeper therefore you may call us however you wish."

Takumi blinked again. "Keeper?"

"Indeed." He looked at Aka, who was still on the bed smiling. "We have entrusted you with our power, making you our keeper. As such, we would be honored if you would address us more informally."

"Oh hush now brother." Ao flew down next to Aka. "We all know how much you love your big words, but you should really relax more often." She then turned back to Takumi. "To translate for my brothers, please just call us Aka, Ki and Ao."

Takumi grinned at that. "Well why didn't they just say so!?"

"Right!?" The two got a good laugh at the expense of Aka and Ki, who joined in after a moment.

After a minute, they calmed down and Takumi took a seat at the desk, while they all stood on it. "So, do you guys have any idea what's going on?"

Aka-Ho stood just in front of his siblings. "You mean about the different worlds and what is occurring to Yuya Sakaki, correct?"

"Should I be taking that as a yes?"

"I suppose you could. Perhaps I should start by saying what happened to Yuto?"

"Do you know where he is?!"

"In a sense. He's right next door."

Takumi looked at Ao-Yuki. "… As in just down the street?"

"Actually, a little closer…."

Takumi raised an eyebrow. "How much closer?"

"Right through here." Takumi turned and saw Ki-Rai pointing his wing at the wall between his room and Yuya's, smirking a little.

Takumi blinked twice. "Wait… He's in Yuya's room?!"

"Close." Takumi turned back to Aka. "He's in Yuya."

"… Huh?"

"Across the 4 worlds, there are a few individuals who possess look-alikes on each of the worlds. In Yuya's case, he merged with his Xyz counterpart. As a result, something within him has… stirred. So long as he can learn to resist the impulses it sends him from time to time, he should be fine."

"Impulses… You mean like the way he acted against Isao?"

"Exactly. That time, he was driven to destroy. But if he can remember the kind of person he wishes to be, then everything will work out fine."

"Alright then. Is there any way to separate them again?"

"Not the way things are now. All we can do is wait for things to run their course."

Takumi sighed and looked off in thought. "Shun isn't going to like that…" Then he laughed. "Then again, how would I tell him. 'Hey Shun! Looks like Yuto's alive, just merged with Yuya. I know that because my cards told me so.' Pretty sure he won't believe me."

Aka flew onto his shoulder. "True. It would be for the best that you didn't tell anyone about us anyway. My siblings and I would prefer that the humans didn't think you were crazy." Takumi laughed at that. "As for Yuya himself, just give him time. He will heal."

Takumi smiled at that. "Thanks."

"No need. I literally live for this." They shared a laugh at that. "Now as for the war, we don't really know much about it ourselves. At least, no more than you do. That said, we will do all within our power to aid you."

"Alright then. Guess we need to strategize, don't we?"

After a few more hours of getting to know his partners better and deciding how to proceed, Takumi went to bed, happy at how things went and awaiting the next day of the tournament.

* * *

Sorry that there isn't a duel yet, but there is in the next chapter. I wanted to keep the story going, and it was getting too long. How did I do with the characters? That said, this story now had 7 favorites and 11 followers! Sure, not that big a number, but this story has only been out for a little less than three weeks, so I'll take what I get. Anyway, my next chapter is partly done already, and with luck it will be up within the next week.


	10. Blazing souls

New chapter! Enjoy

* * *

The next day of the tournament, Yuzu had her duel against idol duelist Naname Mikiyo, and managed to remind Yuya about what dueling meant to him. Afterwards, Yuya was the same as he always was. Now, it was time for Takumi's match.

He was standing in the entrance to the arena going over his deck, the spirits of the Trinity floating around him. Takumi looked to Aka. "Looks like you were right. Yuya seems a lot better."

"Indeed. Now then, I believe we should turn our attention to your next match."

"We'll be with you every step of the way!" "Let's show them a performance they will never forget!"

"You got it guys!" He loaded his deck and shuffled it, then waited for his cue.

"Takumi." "Huh?" Takumi turned around and was surprised to see Shun walking up behind him. "Shun? What are you doing here?"

Shun walked up to him and remained silent for a few seconds. "… Do you truly mean what you've been saying?" Takumi nodded without hesitation. "I see…" He then reached into his back pocket and pulled out a card. He then looked at it for a few seconds, then at Takumi, holding out the card to him.

Takumi was surprised by the action and took the card, shocked at what it turned out to be. "This is-!"

"Prove to me that you mean those words. If not, I expect to get that back." He then turned around and left Takumi in the hall, stunned at what just happened.

"Oooh!" Takumi turned to the sound of Ao's voice, to see her admiring the card Shun gave him. "This card… I can feel the determination within it to bring justice to those who cause suffering, and to show them the same pain they deliver to others… This may become a powerful ally in the battles to come."

"Really?" Takumi looked back at the card, and smiled softly at Shun's gesture. "Guess I'm starting to get through to the guy." He then put the card where it belonged, already forming tactics he could use with the new card, and heard the announcer start the intro.

{"And now it is time for our next match! Give a warm welcome to You Show's very own Unbound Avian, TAKUMI SHOU!"} Takumi ran out onto the field, sweat-dropping at the title. 'Unbound Avian? Who came up with that!?' The Trinity flew right behind him chuckling at the look on his face. {"After defeating the powers of fate, he will now attempt to gain entry into the 3rd round! Now to introduce his opponent, RYUUJI KUROBE!"

Takumi looked at who his opponent was going to be, and saw a boy with short black hair and crimson eyes. He had a red shirt under a black hoodie, with black jeans and shoes to match. His disk was black with red highlights. {"He doesn't belong to a duel school, but he managed to enter the tournament with a six-win streak, and in his first match defeated a member of the Knight of Duels on his second turn! I think we can expect quite the match between these 2 duelists!"}

Takumi smiled at his opponent. "Yo! Gotta admit, I never saw your duel. But if the announcer is being honest then I gotta say, you seem like a fun opponent to go up against!"

Ryuuji smiled back. "Why thank you. I do hope you give me a good fight. My last opponent was too sure of himself to really give me a challenge."

"Well, I don't like to underestimate my opponents. Confidence is a double-edged sword after all."

"Good point. Now I should tell you, I don't like going for Action cards."

Takumi was surprised at that. "Really? Why?"

Ryuuji shrugged. "No reason. Just doesn't feel right. I work hard to make my deck strong, and don't think I need to rely on something outside of my control to win."

Takumi thought over his words for a few moments, then smiled back at him. "Okay then. I won't use them either."

This time Ryuuji was surprised. "Really? You'd be giving up an advantage."

Takumi shrugged. "That's fine. I don't like having too big an advantage, and Action cards are real game-changers. Besides, I wanna see how my deck compares to your own."

Ryuuji studied him for a few moments, before he smirked at him. "Alright then. Hope you don't regret that decision later!" He then activated his disk, revealing a red blade.

"No problem!" He then activated his own as the announcer began selecting an Action Field.

{"The Action Field this time is… Dragon Ravine!"} Takumi and Ryuuji were then standing on top of a large stone pillar above a dense forest. Several other pillars could be seen around the area, but they paid them no mind as they started.

Duelists locked in battle!

Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters.

They storm through this field!

Behold!

This is the latest and greatest evolution of dueling!

Action… DUEL!

Ryuuji: 4000

Takumi: 4000

"May I go first?"

Takumi bowed. "If you wish."

"Thanks. I summon my Blazewing Butterfly!" A large orange butterfly then appeared on Ryuuji's field. "I now activate the spell card, Cards of the Red Stone! I can activate this card by sending 1 "Red-Eyes" monster from my hand to the graveyard!"

Takumi perked up a little at that. "Red-Eyes!?"

Ryuuji smirked at Takumi. "I see you recognize the Ace of my deck. But let's see exactly how much you know. I discard my Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon to draw 2 cards. Then, I'll use the second effect of my spell to send 1 Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my deck to the graveyard." As Ryuuji drew and sent the cards mentioned to the grave, Takumi reviewed what he knew of the Red-Eyes cards.

'Okay… Akihiro mentioned that while Blue-eyes was the stronger of the two, Red-Eyes was known to make that up by being craftier. I can't underestimate a single thing Ryuuji does.'

Ryuuji smirked at seeing the look on his opponent's face. "I see you're taking this seriously. Good. My last opponent underestimated me and lost pretty badly for it. I now equip my Butterfly with the Supervise spell card, unsealing its Gemini effect!" As he said that, the wings of the selected monster burst into flames. As Takumi prepared for what was to come, the You Show crew were surprised at the unheard of term.

Ayu and Futoshi turned to Tatsuya. "What did he mean by 'Gemini effect?'" "I've never heard of it."

Tatsuya shook his head. "I've heard a little about them. Gemini monsters are a rare breed of cards." As Tatsuya spoke, he caught the attention of the others. "Gemini monsters are known to have powerful or even unique effects. The only downside is that they start off unable to use them."

Shuzo quickly caught on to what was happening. "So that butterfly is a Gemini card, and the Equip spell is able to unseal its powers. I wonder what it can do…"

Ryuuji then smirked at Takumi. "I'll now use the unsealed power of my Butterfly! Phoenixian Chrysalis!" The monster then spun rapidly, as silky orange threads and glittering orange scales spun around it. Takumi and the crowd watched as Ryuuji's monster turned into a large orange cocoon.

Takumi whistled at the display. "Wow. That sure is pretty. So, what happens now?"

"Simple. Due to the effect of my Butterfly, I can sacrifice it in order to revive 1 Gemini monster in my graveyard. And thanks to my earlier spell, I have just the one. Emerge, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!" Flames then began to break out from the cocoon, before the whole thing burst apart, revealing a black dragon with red wings. "The monster summoned by the effect of Blazewing automatically gains its effects. Also, Since the Supervise spell card was just sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon a normal monster in my graveyard. So now I can revive my Red-Eyes Black Dragon as well!" As the wings of the first dragon burst into flames, a second dragon that was completely black burst forth, with both of them giving a mighty roar!

{"Incredible! Ryuuji has not only summoned his ace monster on the first turn, but brought out its Gemini counterpart as well! How will Takumi respond to this!"}

Said duelist could only grin. "So that's what your deck is about. Akihiro was right it seems."

Ryuuji raised an eyebrow. "Akihiro? Who are you talking about?"

"He was one of the people that taught me dueling, and he told me all about the craftiness of the Red-Eyes. Seeing how your first turn went, I would have to agree."

Ryuuji smiled at that. "Oh, so you're aware. That's already much better than my last opponent. Maybe you'll actually give me a challenge. I end my turn with a face-down."

"Alright, my turn! Draw!" Takumi looked through his hand and smiled. "Alright!" Takumi then turned to the crowd, and said the words that no one expected from him. "Ladies and Gentlemen!" At the familiar words, the entire audience gave him their full attention while Yuya sweat-dropped at his antics. "I will now show you a scene you have only seen a few times before!"

Ryuuji just looked at him skeptically. "What are you on about?"

Takumi just turned to him and smiled. "What? I am from a Duel School where the idea is to amaze the crowds with our dueling! And what better way to do that, than with the very method that originated there!?" He then pulled 2 cards from his hand. "With the scale 1 **Shaman of the Trinity** and the Scale 7 Scout of the Trinity, I set the Pendulum Scale!"

The You Show kids jumped up in excitement at those words. "It's here!" "Taku-nii's Pendulum!" "SHIVERS!"

As the crowd was abuzz with shock and surprise, 2 pillars of light then appeared beside Takumi, with his monsters rising up. The pillar on his left held Scout, and the one on his right held a similar birdman dressed in a robe and holding a light blue staff decorated with feathers.

 **Shaman of the Trinity** : **Winged Beast-Type/Water/lvl3/Sc1**

 **ATK:1200 DEF:1600**

{"WHAT IS THIS!? On top of Xyz, Synchro and even Fusion, Takumi also has PENDULUM SUMMONING!?"}

"With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters of level 2 through 6! _Wings that carry me to the unknown future! Awaken the infinite potential within, and guide me down the path to success! Pendulum Summon! Flock to me, my avian allies!_ " From the portal, 2 beams of energy shot out onto his field. "First, Vanguard of the Trinity! Also, Mist Valley Falcon!"

Ryuuji widened his eyes in surprise as Takumi's monsters appeared. "So this is Pendulum…"

Takumi was grinning massively at the applause he was getting. "Now then, neither of my monsters have the strength to overcome that of my opponent's dragons. That is, if they were fighting separately! But I can use the power of Vanguard in order to counteract this! Falcon! Lend him your strength!" Vanguard then held out its staff for Falcon to take hold of. As it did, energy flowed between the them through the spear. "Falcon now gives half of his ATK points to Vanguard!"

2000 – 1000

1800 – 2800

"You said Flare was a Gemini monster, right? Then I really don't want to know what its effect is. Battle! Vanguard, attack Black Flare Dragon!" The spear wielder then flew up and charged at the blazing dragon, who tried to fight it off by spewing fireballs at it. Vanguard dodged every one, and struck Flare Dragon in the chest, causing it to explode.

Ryuuji: 4000 – 3600

Ryuuji then smiled at Takumi. "Not bad. You were right, my Flare Dragon has quite the effect. Which is why I have to disappoint you. I activate my face-down, Red-Eyes Spirit!" After Ryuuji played his face-down, Flare Dragon burst free from the ground this time. "This allows me to special summon any Red-Eyes card in the graveyard!"

Takumi grinned at that. "Of course. Nothing is easy when it comes to a rival of Blue-Eyes. I end my turn with a face-down of my own, returning my monsters' ATKs to normal!"

2800 – 1800

1000 – 2000

"That's weird…" Everyone looked at Tatsuya confused.

Shuzo was the one to ask him. "What is it Tatsuya?"

"Well, with the cards he has, he could have summoned his Ao-Yuki by using his monsters in an Xyz summon, or he could even have swapped out Vanguard and Scout for a power boost and a chance to summon Ki-Rai. Either monster would have given him a major advantage. So why didn't he play them?"

As the others contemplated Tatsuya's words, trying to come up with an answer, Aka appeared next to Takumi in spirit form. "Are you sure about this tactic Takumi? What you're planning is very risky…"

Takumi whispered back so no one would notice. "I know, but I need to do this. If I can't pull this off, then he may never trust me _."_

Aka thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright then. Do what you must." As Takumi nodded back, Aka withdrew to let Takumi focus.

"Alright then, my turn. I draw." Ryuuji looked at the card he drew and smirked. "Well now, I do think this is over. First, I'll normal summon my Flare Dragon to unseal its Gemini effect!" The Gemini dragon once again set its wings ablaze. "This is the normal method for unsealing a Gemini monster's power. But I'm not through yet. I now activate the card I just drew, Polymerization!"

From one of the halls leading to the arena, Shun watched with narrowed and hateful eyes. "Fusion…"

"With this, I'll fuse together the Red-Eyes Black Dragon on my field and the Summoned Skull in my hand." As the demonic skeleton appeared next to the black dragon, they both moved up into a vortex. " _Legendary dragon with eyes of red, join together with the demon of the underworld! Unleash the potential within you, and forge a power of absolute dread! Fusion Summon! Arise, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!"_

Emerging from the vortex was a large demonic dragon that let loose a massive roar! Everyone at You Show was frightened by the monstrosity before them, while Shun looked at it with disgust and fury.

{"IT'S HERE! The monstrosity that brought Ryuuji's last opponent to their knees!"}

Takumi meanwhile could only grin in anticipation of what he was up against, which seemed to confuse Ryuuji. "Hey, you alright? Most of my opponents are quaking in their boots when I bring out this guy."

"Oh, I am more than alright! I can't wait to see the full extent of what this thing is capable of!" Takumi's declaration surprised Ryuuji, but he collected himself quickly.

"I see. Well then, I shouldn't disappoint now, should I? I attack Falcon with Archfiend! Go, Infernal Hellfire Blast!" Ryuuji's Fusion monster then charged a large red fireball in its mouth, then fired it at Falcon, instantly vaporizing it as Takumi braced himself!

Takumi: 4000 – 3400.

Ryuuji was surprised again. "Wait, you should have taken more damage than that. What gives?"

Takumi smirked at Ryuuji. "Sorry, but thanks to the pendulum effect of my Shaman, all damage I take is halved!"

Ryuuji blinked in surprise. "Wow. That's a pretty nice effect. But…" This time Ryuuji smirked at Takumi. "My Archfiend has a pretty nice effect himself. When he is involved in battle damage, I can return 1 normal "Red-Eyes" monster in my graveyard to my deck, then deal damage to you equal to that monster's ATK!" He then slid his Red-Eyes Black Dragon out from his graveyard. "So now, you take 2400 points of damage!"

The spirit of Ryuuji's dragon then appeared, before it became energy that focused itself into a dark red sphere in the claws of Archfiend, who then threw it at Takumi. About halfway there, Shaman aimed their staff at the sphere and fired a beam of energy at it. "Due to Shaman' effect, the damage is halved!" The sphere was then reduced to a size about half of what it was before it continued towards Takumi. "AARRGH!"

Takumi: 3400 – 2200

Ryuuji continued to smirk. "So that even works on card effects. Interesting. In that case, Flare Dragon will attack Vanguard! Blazing Fire Blast!"

As Flare Dragon charged an orange fireball in its mouth, Vanguard set its spear defensively as Shaman set some energy at it. Takumi grinned at Ryuuji. "Once again, Shaman will halve the damage!" Flare then released the blast, creating a large explosion that pushed Takumi back some. "Urgh!"

Takumi: 2200 – 1900

"Maybe, but I wonder if you're still curious about the Gemini effect of my Flare Dragon? Because once per turn, when it is involved in damage calculation, I get to deal damage to you equal to its original ATK!" Flare Dragon then charged another fireball just like the last, and sent it straight at Takumi. Shaman waved their staff, releasing a wave of energy that intercepted the attack and washed away half of its power. What was left however was enough to send Takumi to the edge of the platform they were on.

"GAAAUGGHH!"

1900 – 700

As Takumi recovered from the blast, Ryuuji advanced and cornered him, like Gen had done to Gongenzaka. The You Show crew watched uneasily at the familiar scene, while Shun looked at the scene with his own kind of déjà vu, remembering how often people he knew were cornered by overwhelming power.

"Not bad Takumi. Usually, if Archfiend and Flare are out at once, my opponents don't typically survive. You're one of the few to make it through the turn in which I use them. Although… I'm not too sure you'll be able to make it through this. I won't blame you for looking for Action cards now."

Takumi grinned at him. "I'm good. This is pretty tough after all. Besides, I won't know I can't win until I try right? Red-Eyes may be crafty, but I've got a few tricks myself!"

"Haha, true. Well then, I end my turn. So go ahead, show me that you can change this."

"With pleasure. I draw! Not that I need to." At Ryuuji's confused look, Takumi could only smile. "After all, I have everything I need right here. First, with the previously set Pendulum Scale, I can summon monsters of level 2 through 6 simultaneously! _Wings that carry me to the unknown future! Awaken the infinite potential within, and guide me down the path to success! Pendulum Summon! Flock to me, my avian allies!_ Revive from my Extra Deck, Vanguard of the Trinity!"

As Takumi's monster reappeared in front of him, Ryuuji could only smirk. "So what? That monster's effect only works with another monster on the field."

"Maybe. But Shaman just so happens to have another effect I can use. Once per turn, I can special summon a Winged Beast-type monster in my graveyard by paying life points equal to 100x their level or Rank. So, I'll pay 400 to revive the Falcon in my graveyard!" Shaman then aimed its staff at Takumi and pulled some light particles from him. It then took those particles and sent them into the ground in front of him, causing Falcon to burst free from the ground.

Takumi: 700 – 300

Ryuuji lifted an eyebrow in light surprise. "Not bad, but with this you can only take down my Flare Dragon. Even then, I'll be able to finish you on my next turn with Archfiend."

"Sure, if it survives this turn. After all, everything is finally set. Time to reveal the latest addition to my flock. I now take my level 4 Falcon and Vanguard, and build the overlay network!"

As Takumi's monsters went into the portal, the You Show crew was confused. "What did he mean by, "new addition?" Does he have a new card?" Yuya was the one to voice what everyone was thinking, while Shun looked on, noticing the conditions that Takumi spoke of. 'So… He did plan on using it here…"

Ryuuji simply watched in curiousity, wondering what Takumi was up to, as Takumi brought out his newest monster. " _Blaze with crimson light! Set aflame your thirsting wings to light my very soul! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 4! Raidraptor – Blade Burner Falcon!"_

As Takumi called the name of the new monster, his friends watched in shock. "RAIDRAPTOR!?" They then watched as a monster similar to the ones Shun has been using emerged, possessing bladed wings that extended behind its back then spread out, orbited by 2 purple overlay units. But what drew their attention the most was the massive blade that went along the belly of the bird. As it flew around the field, Takumi ran to the very edge of the platform and leaped, just in time for Blade Burner to fly underneath him so he could land on the wings.

Ryuuji simply laughed. "Hahaha! Impressive looking monster, but it has even less ATK than either monster you used to summon it! How do you plan on taking down my monsters with a measly 1000 ATK?"

Takumi just smirked at him. "If you've seen any of Shun's monsters, you'd know that the less ATK a monster has, the greater its potential is! After all, when this fella is summoned, and my life points are at least 3000 less than yours, Blade Burner gains 3000 ATK!" At Takumi's declaration, Blade Burner gave a loud shriek and set every blade on its body on fire!

1000 – 4000

"4000 ATK POINTS!?" Ryuuji couldn't believe his eyes, and neither could any of the spectators.

{"Incredible! Not only does Takumi possess a Raidraptor card like Shun Kurosaki, but it now has 4000 ATK points! This is the strongest card we've seen Takumi play so far!"}

Takumi just smirked back at Ryuuji. "Your monsters may have some pretty cool effects, but they aren't invincible! In fact, it's when things look most dire, that things begin to turn in the favor of those who won't give up!" He then guided Blade Burner to hover above the platform. "Battle! Blade Burner Falcon! Attack Archfiend Black Skull Dragon with Fire Bomb!" Blade Burner then charged a massive fireball, bigger than anything that Ryuuji's monsters had made, and launched it! Archfiend held up its arms and caught the fireball, trying to hold it back. The fireball continued to push back the struggling dragon, until it finally overcame its strength, destroying it and causing a massive explosion!

Ryuuji: 3600 – 2800

"Urgh, not bad, but I still have life points!"

"Maybe, but you don't have any monsters left. After all, when Blade Burner destroys a monster in battle, I can then detach any number of overlay units to destroy that many monsters! Fire Tornado!" One of the overlay units was then absorbed by the massive blade causing it to emit even stronger flames. It then shot a powerful flamethrower like attack at Flare dragon who attempted to fight back with its own flames, only to be quickly overpowered and destroyed in a massive tornado of flames!

"What!?" Ryuuji was shocked at how Takumi had just destroyed some of his best monsters with a single move! "… Haha, alright, I'm impressed. Now then, can that thing do anything else, or do I get a chance to turn this around on my turn?"

"Hmmm… No and no." Ryuuji just looked at him confused. "While Blade Burner may be out of tricks, I just so happen to have one last trick up my own sleeve! I activate my face-down, High-Five the Sky!" As Takumi activated his trap, Falcon let its flames burn even bigger and brighter, then immediately shot up even higher in the sky! "I can only activate this card if I control an Xyz monster that has already attacked this turn. That monster then gains the power to attack once again!"

"Oi, oi, you gotta be kidding me! That thing gets another attack!?" Ryuuji then started backing up nervously, as Blade Burner stopped its ascent and charged yet another massive fireball.

"Let's end this! Blade Burner Falcon! Attack directly! FIRE BOMB!" Ryuuji could only watch, frozen, as the fireball was sent straight his way, creating an explosion that sent him over to the far side of the platform!

"AAAAARRRRGGHH!"

Ryuuji: 2800 – 0

Winner: Takumi

As Blade Burner landed to let Takumi off on the ground, he then ran up to Ryuuji as the field began to deactivate, all to the applause of the audience. {"Unbelievable! Takumi has managed to overcome his opponent's powerful Fusion monsters using an unbelievable Xyz monster of his own! Takumi seems to be an expert in turning a bad situation into an advantage!"}

Ryuuji was just starting to sit up when Takumi got to him with a hand held up. "That was awesome! I knew Red-Eyes was tough, but that was beyond what I was expecting!"

Ryuuji looked at the offered hand, then at its owner. Smiling, he took the hand as Takumi helped him up. "You weren't bad yourself. Maybe we can get a rematch sometime."

"I'd like that."

The two shook, then waved to the audience. Takumi then heard a beep from his disk, and saw that there was a message from Shun saying he wanted to talk. He then said goodbye to Ryuuji and walked off the field to meet up with the others first.

They apparently had a few questions, because the kids practically jumped him when they saw him. "Taku-nii, why do you have a card like Shun's?!"

He blinked from the question all three asked him. "I got it from him. What's the problem?"

"But Taku-nii! He hurt Sora!" "And he's probably the reason that Sora's missing!" "Why would you trust him!?"

Takumi raised an eyebrow at them. "Okay, I get you guys don't have a good opinion of him, but I can promise you that Shun didn't cause Sora's disappearance. I actually ran into him that night. As for his match with Sora…" Takumi looked at Yuya and Yuzu briefly. "… Yeah I admit that was bad. Been talking to Shun about toning things down a notch. Heck, the card was his way of giving me a chance."

There was silence from the others, until Gongenzaka asked Takumi something. "You held back in that duel. Why?"

"It was something of a gamble, and I'm about to go see how well it worked. I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?" As he bid the group farewell, they went off excitedly talking about the tournament in the direction of You Show, while Takumi made his way to where Shun asked to meet him.

He found him leaning against one of the walls that led to the stands for the arena. As he approached, Shun looked at him appraisingly. "You could have taken control of that duel at any time, and you waited until you could play Blade Burner at its best. You passed up numerous chances at winning to play a card you only just acquired. Why?"

Takumi smirked at him. "Well, you were willing to give me a chance to earn your trust. I thought that the best way to show you that you had mine would be to use the card you gave me over any of my others. That I would rely only on the strength you gave me to prove it to you."

Shun looked at him for a few minutes, then closed his eyes, a ghost of a smile tugging at his face. "Hmph. I suppose that would do it." He then got off the wall and looked at Takumi. "I guess you can keep that card." He then held out a hand to Takumi.

Who then wasted no time in griping it with his own. "Thanks. Now then, mind if we took the time to get to know each other better?"

"How so?"

Takumi raised his arms behind his head. "Hmmm… How about we explain our histories to each other? I tell you what I've gone through, you tell me what things were like before Fusion arrived?"

Shun thought it over for a bit, then nodded. "I guess I can agree with that."

* * *

[some time later]

"Seriously, your Ruri sounds much less scary than our Yuzu!" Takumi couldn't believe how different Ruri sounded compared to Yuzu from Shun's stories about her. "Still, she seems like she'd be a nice person to know."

"Yeah… She was always good at making friends..." Shun looked down in thought.

"IS good." Shun looked up at Takumi's serious face. "She IS good at making friends. And I promise you, that she will be able to make more."

Shun smirked for a moment. "Right."

The two of them had gotten a message from Reiji and were now heading to his office to see what he wanted. On the way, they had continued their conversation, with Takumi telling Shun what life was like back at the orphanage and Shun telling him about how Heartland used to be.

They then reached the door and Takumi knocked before they walked inside. Takumi saw that not only was Reiji and Nakajima there, but a woman with purple hair and a red dress was as well, confusing him. Takumi then looked at Reiji and pointed to the woman. "Who's this?"

Reiji didn't even look up from the data he was going through. "Himika Akaba, my mother and chairwoman of the board of directors."

Takumi's eyes widened a little before he looked her over. After a few seconds, he nodded. "Okay, definitely feels like your mother."

She then smiled at him. "Now what do you mean by that?"

"Eh. You just give the same feeling. Confident and calculating. Like you won't make a move until you've thought everything through."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Enough of this." Everyone turned to Shun. "Why did you call us here?"

Reiji didn't respond and simply turned on the main screen, revealing what looked like a security feed. Everyone watched as they saw two hooded figures, one of which Takumi recognized from the previous day. "A few hours ago, individuals aligned with Fusion attempted to card a student of LDS who used Xyz. This however was a trap arranged by myself in order to meet them." Takumi and Shun watched the video in shock as the shorter one threw off their cloak and possessed a face just like Yuzu's. "Before you ask, the name of this girl is Serena, the Fusion counterpart of Yuzu and Ruri."

"You're kidding me… That's who I ran into yesterday?!"

"I learned that she wasn't here with permission, trying to prove her worth against orders. I attempted to make her see things our way, but she wouldn't listen. In fact, her friend, Barrett, used his own disk to send a signal to the main forces of Fusion after he lost a duel. It is likely that they will send a squad tomorrow."

Shun and Takumi looked at Reiji in even further shock than before. "WAIT WHAT!?"

Reiji nodded to them, a serious look on his face. "Exactly. However, it would seem that their main goal will be to get Serena to return to Academia. It is unclear as to why, but she is significant to Leo for some reason. And for those reasons, I have decided to make some adjustments to the tournament."

Takumi raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

Reiji adjusted his glasses and hit a few buttons, changing the screen to show a map of the city divided into 4 sections. "The next round will now be a city-wide Battle Royale."

Shun narrowed his eyes at that. "Battle Royale?"

"We have been able to create a Solid Vision system that will span across Maiami, and plan to have the Junior Youth class run about for 24 hours. We will also scatter LDS-made Pendulum cards for them to track down. This will give them a chance to gain an understanding of how it works and gain a better chance of fighting back should worst come to worst."

Takumi thought about how things were set up and was impressed. "I see… Not only do you get to see how strong your potential soldiers are with Pendulum at their disposal, but you also have a means of covering up the appearance of the invaders when they show up. But do you really think that will be enough to help them survive?"

"Not entirely. Which is why I have put together a response team that will intercept the enemy while the Junior Youth class gains an understanding of Pendulum. I also want you two to help narrow down the candidates for the Lancers. Find out which ones have the best chance at fighting back against Academia."

Takumi sighed. "And let me guess, we can't tell anyone anything that they already aren't aware of? We don't want anyone acting crazy or paranoid after all."

"Exactly."

"Okay then. Anything else we should be aware of?"

Himika walked up to Takumi at that. "Of sorts." She then held out a microchip that looked familiar.

Takumi picked it up and looked at it for a few moments, then looked back at Himika and her son. "Let me guess. New upgrade?"

Reiji nodded. "It now also includes a possible means of accessing Academia systems, and recognizing Duel Disk software from the separate dimensions. I recommend you set it up before the Royale and become familiar with how it runs."

Takumi nodded and started messing with his disk at the table in the middle of the room. "Guess so. Especially if you got that tracer working right. I don't want to be caught by surprise if Academia soldiers try to sneak up on me, or if they're ganging up on one of us."

Himika then held up a similar chip to Shun. "Your disk already has most of the systems we do, but maybe you'd like the tracer so that you'll know allies from enemies?" Shun looked at her, then the chip, before he took it and made his way to where Takumi was messing with his own.

* * *

[Meanwhile…]

Late at night, a lone figure walked between some warehouses at the docks and looked around. Seeing no observers, they ducked into an abandoned building and searched through some boxes, pulling out an unusual duel disk. They then pushed a few buttons, and a voice came through the disk. "Report."

"I have been removed from the local tournament. The duelists in standard appear to be more… capable, than first determined. Recommending caution in tomorrow's operation."

"Acknowledged. We will take the necessary measures to prepare. Standby for further orders."

"Roger that. Agent Kurobe, standing by." As Ryuuji set down the disk, he thought back to his duel with Takumi with a grin. "Better hope we don't get that rematch Takumi. Because next time, I won't hold back!"

* * *

And we end with a new adversary! Honestly Red-Eyes is one of my favorite classic monsters, and I couldn't wait to find a way to implement it. Especially since I've seen other stories where Red-Eyes was the ace of the OC as opposed to an enemy. I also wanted a chance to give Takumi the Blade Burner Falcon, seeing as Shun only used it in the manga and that it would be a useful card for turning a bad situation into an advantage. Lastly, I couldn't quite figure out how to do this duel with Action cards involved, so I just made Ryuuji someone who didn't rely on them in order to get around that. How was it?

Anyway, I'm not sure how long the next chapter will take to write, but I do have an idea for how I want things to go. So, let me know how this story is going and if you have any ideas I could use in the future, because I don't plan on stopping this story anytime soon. See you guys later and please fav, follow, or review!

 **OC cards**

 **Shaman of the Trinity** : Winged Beast-Type/Water/tuner/lvl3/Sc1

ATK:1200 DEF:1600

Once per turn, you can banish the top card of your deck to special summon 1 Winged Beast-type monster from your hand, graveyard, or face-up from your Extra Deck, then gain life points equal to 300x its level/Rank.

P.E.- This card is unaffected by monster effects. You can only Pendulum Summon Winged Beast-type monsters, and this effect cannot be negated. While there is another "Trinity" card in your other Pendulum Zone, halve all damage you take. Once per turn, you may Special Summon 1 Winged Beast-type monster from your hand, graveyard, or face-up from your Extra Deck by paying life points equal to their level/Rank x100.


	11. Resolute Will

A/N: Quick thank you to RoyalTwinFangs and HunterHQ for reviewing this story. And to Hunter, that question will be answered soon. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Takumi laughed as he watched from the screen that showed everyone's reaction to the Battle Royale. "Hahaha! Okay, this is one of those times where I can approve of not warning anyone about something."

Shun turned towards him with an eyebrow raised. "How so?"

"Hehehe. Well obviously because of the looks on their faces! You can't possibly tell me that those looks aren't at least satisfying to see."

Shun didn't say a thing at first, but Takumi knew he saw a ghost of a smirk on his face and decided that was good enough. "I have no comment on that. By the way, why do you have a bag?"

Takumi looked behind him at the dark blue backpack he had next to him. "This? Well, Reiji did say it would be a 24-hour deal, so I thought I'd at least bring some food so I wouldn't get hungry. Pretty sure we won't be allowed in any of the shops while this is going on."

"Fair enough."

The previous night, Takumi had finished going through the new additions to his disk and went to hang out with the guys from You Show for the rest of the night. The next morning, he had told Yuya that he would be meeting up with Shun before the next round started, and was now waiting with him in Reiji's office overlooking the stadium. Reiji and his mother were standing by the window-wall, Takumi and Shun were leaning against the wall by the door, and the rest of the qualifying Youth duelists were standing together in a line.

"Still… I didn't expect Reiji's response squad to be the Youth competitors. I had almost expected him to put together a team of bonafide pros."

One of the Youth competitors, who Takumi recognized as Yu, turned to him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Takumi just shrugged. "Nothing. Just that this is a serious situation we're looking at, and while I get that we need to keep things covered up, none of you have ACTUALLY received the Pro title yet."

Yu stepped up to him with the rest of the competitors watching. "Are you saying we won't be able to handle this?!"

"I actually have no idea if you can. I know that since you all are here that you are the top 8 in your section of the tournament, and that you all are LDS students, but remember that the guys that we'll be dealing with are trained soldiers. Therefore, I'm not gonna make the mistake of underestimating them."

Yu couldn't find any way to argue back and just stood there, before he turned back to the group in time for Reiji to begin addressing them. Takumi and Shun listened as Reiji and Himika gave them inspiration to do well with their task of intercepting the soldiers when they arrive, then for him to turn to Takumi and Shun for their orders. "And while I believe you two already know, your orders are to find fighters with potential among the 15 currently in the stadium who are suitable to join the Lancers to provide for any emergencies."

Shun looked to Reiji questioningly. "So you don't want us to fight the enemy then? I can't promise that." He then held an arm out to the group of 8. "If those 8 get wiped out, we'll have no choice but to take part."

Yu turned to Shun. "You're just a Junior Youth and you're running your mouth…!"

Shun then turned to the door and walked out. "Do your best to stay alive."

Takumi sighed, then turned to Yu and the others. "Sorry about that. But he does know what he's talking about. He's been dealing with these guys since long before you've even heard about them. So good luck out there." After that, he grabbed his bag and followed Shun out of the room. He then setup his disk to show Nico's broadcast explaining what would be happening, as well of a layout of how the fields will be set up. "So, looks like the fields will be Frozen Tundra, Volcanic Wasteland, Ancient Ruins, and Lush Jungle. Where to?"

Shun looked at him. "… Why are you going with me? We would cover more ground if we split up."

"True. But if you recall, our conversation yesterday was interrupted." Takumi smirked at Shun.

"Hm… I was thinking of heading to the ruins."

"The ruins it is."

"… Hold on."

Takumi turned to look see Shun rummaging in his pocket, pulling out a red cloth. "What's that?"

Shun then held a finger to the cloth around his neck. "It's the same as this. Back in the Xyz dimension, everyone who was a part of the resistance wore one of these. It showed our comradery and our determination not to give in to Academia." He then held out the cloth to him. "You've proven yourself a friend."

Takumi's eyes went wide, before a grateful smile set itself on his face as he accepted the cloth. "Thanks Shun." He then wrapped it around his neck like Shun's was set then held his arms out. "So? Do I look like a resistance fighter?"

"Heh. Maybe after a wardrobe change."

Takumi then looked over the clothes he wore. "What's wrong with my outfit?"

Shun simply raised an eyebrow and smirked, before he went back to walking. Takumi looked himself over again. "There's nothing wrong with it… right?" He then shook the thought out of his head. "Ah forget it. No time to try and find a new look now." He then jogged to catch up to Shun and looked back at the screen.

"Alright. They're about to let them loose." They reached the front door and stepped out, as Takumi saw through his disk that the stadium was opening. He then turned to Shun. "Ready partner?"

"Hmph. Try not to get left behind."

"Haha. You'll have to try harder than that to get rid of me. Let's do this."

* * *

Takumi and Shun talked some more about their respective pasts as they wandered through the Ruins area and looked for the Action cards that they were supposed to find. Takumi found his easily enough, and they had just found Shun's second, as the 2 Knight of Duels competitors came out wanting revenge for their friend, who Shun took out in the last round. Takumi and Shun made quick work of them.

That was about 10 minutes ago and Takumi just shook his head. "Seriously, over something like that? You'd think they would at least be more focused on the tournament rather than someone having lost a fair duel."

Shun sighed. "I don't see those two as anything close to Lancer material."

"You got that right."

Takumi then started fiddling with the updated tracer. Apparently, he could now see recognized duel disks with this and display their owners profile. Takumi noted a blue blip symbolizing a Standard disk coming into their general area and toggled to see who it was. "…! Hey, Shun. Looks like Yuya's going to be here in a bit." Shun looked at him and stopped, causing Takumi to stop. "Hm? What's up?"

"… Would this be an acceptable time to speak with him?"

"Huh? Really?"

Shun nodded. "I've seen enough about him to know that I would be willing to speak with him. Also, I wish to know if he has any idea what happened to Yuto other than what you told me."

Takumi smiled at him. "Well alright then. Want me to skedaddle so you can talk to him, or should I be here?"

"It would probably be better if I spoke with him privately."

"Alright then, I'll head out for now. Just don't bite his head off." With that, Takumi left Shun and began to wander the area.

"That was nice of you." Takumi turned his head to the form of Ao floating beside him, as Aka and Ki also formed around him.

"Well, he really does need to learn to trust others more easily. I can't always be there to keep him on his best behavior anyway."

Ki then flew up ahead of them. "True. He may be strong, but no matter how strong someone is, they can't always win against everything on their own."

"Exactly. Now then, you guys wanna explore this place?"

Sometime later, Takumi was sitting cross-legged on top of a building and looking through the new systems on his disk as the Trinity perched around him. Aka sat on his leg. "Weren't you supposed to be familiar with the new functions last night?"

"I was. Just making sure that nothing is causing any problems anywhere. And I can't even test the access system since there aren't any Academia systems to get into."

Ki and Ao flew onto his shoulders. "What would be the purpose? All we need to do is beat them in a fight and assert dominance." "But that would take a while. If we could infiltrate them, we stand a chance of taking them out from the inside."

"Exactly Ao. It would be even better if we could somehow get them to join us and help protect the worlds."

Ki turned his head towards Takumi's. "You're still thinking about Sora aren't you?"

Takumi stopped fiddling with his disk and looked over the area. After his wanderings, he had wound up in the lava section. "Of course he's on my mind. After all, it was in our first duel together that the first of you awoke and became my partner. Not to mention that he became a really good friend. At least, I thought so…"

The Trinity exchanged some looks with each other before Ao rubbed her head against Takumi's. "Now, now, enough of those thoughts. Maybe the moments Sora had with everyone will stick with him and get him to see reason. We can't focus on things we can't do anything about yet, or we'll simply be unable to act when we need to."

Takumi thought on her words for a few moments, then smiled. "You're right Ao. I shouldn't be too hung up on this. I should know, I've been there about my parents. But that doesn't matter either. I'll just keep my attention on what I can currently change, as opposed to what is out of my power."

"That's the spirit!" Ki then flew up a little and in front of Takumi. "So let's go show these people how determined you are!"

Takumi shot up from the ground. "YEAH!"

"Wait." They turned to Aka, who looked like he was focusing on something in the distance that they couldn't see. Aka then turned to Takumi. "Activate your tracer again, hurry!"

Takumi did as he was asked and looked at the blips. "…! Wait, these purple dots are meant for…"

"Fusion. Looks like we may get to do something about them sooner than we thought."

Takumi nodded and looked for the closest batch. "They don't seem to be moving in groups of less than 3. And it seems the closest few are going up against some Standard duelists." Takumi checked the profiles of the ones battling. "… Wait, these are the Youth Group duelists! Alright, I'm gonna see how good they are! Might even be able to test the new features." Takumi grabbed the rest of his stuff and went off in their direction.

* * *

Yu wasn't sure what happened.

He and the rest of the Youth team had been sent in to deal with the presence of Fusion soldiers when they appeared near a pair of girls that could have been twins while a couple of ninjas extracted them from the area. At first, they had the advantage, but now it was just him and two others, the rest leaning or sitting against the building behind them. He had the Hierophant of Prophecy on his field, another had the Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, and the third had Naturia Leodrake, a powerful line-up.

But the 3 soldiers each had a copy of Double and Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound on their field, and each of their own monsters had one of those Gear Counters on them. If any of their monsters battled one of the hounds, they would be destroyed.

One of the soldiers continued their turn. "I activate Ancient Armageddon Gear! While this card is in play, whenever a monster is destroyed, the controller takes damage equal to its ATK! With this, it's over for you! My Triple Hound can attack 3 times per turn, and with the effect of our Double Hounds, you'll each lose your monsters and life points. Go, Triple Hound!"

Yu and his friends watched helplessly, as the Triple Hound started to charge at their monsters, and one of the Gear Counters locked onto the one on Triple Hounds back, quickly firing it straight at the first monster…

Only for a brown blur to intercept it and launch it back at the Triple Hound, stopping its charge! "What!?" As everyone looked back to the blur, they noted that it was a brown bird.

"Pardon me!" Everyone to the top of a nearby building to see Takumi with a massive grin on his face, even while he took the 2000 LP penalty for intruding. "I hope you don't mind the interruption of my **Ambush Wing**."

 **Ambush Wing** : Winged Beast-type/Earth/level2

ATK: 800 DEF: 500

"You see, when my opponent declares an attack, I can discard this card to negate the attack, then summon one level 4 or lower Winged Beast-type monster from my hand. So now, I can summon my Necro Wing!" The black version of the monster then appeared as Ambush Wing dissipated and Takumi grabbed the legs so Necro could fly him down to the LDS team. As he landed he turned to the Academia forces. "Also, now that Necro Wing was summoned, I can summon my Ambush Wing from the graveyard with its effect!" Necro Wing then gave off some energy and coalesced it into Ambush Wing.

Takumi then turned to Yu. "Yo. Again, sorry for the interruption, but I thought you might need the help considering what's going on here."

Yu just looked worried. "Don't drop your guard!"

"He's right you know." Takumi turned towards the soldiers that were smirking at him. "After all, now your own monsters will receive Gear Counters!" Two of the Double Hounds then each shot a gear from themselves and had them float near Takumi's birds. "And I can still attack 2 more times, plus the attack of my Double Hound! So now you're about to-"

"Wait patiently for you to end your turn already." At Takumi's interruption, the soldier just shut up and looked at his smirk. "After all, when Ambush Wing is summoned outside of my turn, my opponents can't attack until after my next turn." Said monster then let out a shriek as it flapped its wings, blowing sand around the Gear monsters in a mini sandstorm.

"What?!"

"So, should we just get to my turn now, then the rest of you see if you can pull something?"

The soldiers just grit their teeth angrily. "Fine then. Get through your turn already so we can card you!"

As Takumi heard those words, Yu noticed a fierce look on his face. "Say, what do you guys call yourselves?" The soldiers then looked at him confused. "After all if you guys where masks like those, you must have some special designation right?"

The soldiers then smirked at him. "Well, since you're about to become a card anyway..." "You may call us the Obelisk Force." "The elite soldiers of Academia."

Takumi grinned at them. "Elites, eh? Interesting. So that means you can take whatever I dish out, right?" At the uneasy looks of the soldiers, Takumi began his turn. "My turn, draw!"

As he looked through the cards he had, Ao appeared on his shoulder. "Takumi. Let me at them. I will show them exactly what happens when they take something good, and give them a reason to fight!" At her words, Takumi looked at the cards in his hand and smiled.

"If you insist. I summon **Hatchling of the Trinity!** " A small brown bird the size of a chicken then appeared on the field and gave a large yawn. On its forehead was a clear crystal.

 **Hatchling of the Trinity** : Winged Beast-type/Earth/level2

ATK: 500 DEF: 500

Hatchling then took a look at the Ancient Gear Hounds and made some panicking noises before running behind Takumi's legs, causing the Obelisk Force to laugh.

"HAHAHA! What do you expect that little scaredy-cat to do?!"

Takumi simply knelt down and comforted Hatchling. "Don't worry, I promise that they won't be able to hurt you. Do you trust me?" Hatchling then looked up at him for a few moments, before it got a serious expression on its own face, nodding. "Alright. Go join the other two." Hatchling then made a chirp in affirmation, then ran to stand between the two Wing monsters.

"Hatchling may be small, but you know what they say about the potential of children! I activate Hatchling's effect to discard one card and target all 3 of my monsters! I can now make all of them any level from 1 through 4, then immediately perform an Xyz summon! I choose 4!" The crystal on Hatchling's head then turned dark blue as a blue aura then covered his three monsters.

"Rank 4 from level 2s?" Yu was surprised at Takumi's move as he watched the birds fly into an Xyz portal as brown and purple lights.

" _Majestic avian with the beauty of falling snow! Dance with your kin, and release the arctic winds that bring all to their knees before you! Xyz Summon! Soar through the skies, the symbol of my will! Rank 4! Soul of the Trinity, Ao-Yuki!"_

Yu gazed at the Icebird as it appeared, announcing its presence with a shrill cry, while the Obelisk Force just sneered. "Not good enough punk. Our Double Hounds will just place a counter on it then take you down." One of the Hounds then shot a gear at Ao, only for it to be frozen solid and hit the ground halfway there. "What?"

Takumi grinned at them. "So long as Ao-Yuki has at least 1 overlay unit, Winged Beasts I control are immune to your monster effects!"

"Grrrgh. Fine then. But that isn't enough for you to survive!"

"Not yet at least. But we're just getting warmed up!" The sapphire on Takumi's pendant then began to glow with the crown on Ao-Yuki's head and a card from his Extra Deck, as an image of a powerful being that radiated beauty and ferocity. He then took another card from his hand and played it. "I activate the spell card, Rank-Up-Magic Will of the Trinity!"

Both the Obelisk Force and the Youth group were surprised. "Rank-Up!?"

"With this card, I take Ao-Yuki and rank her up! Show them the power sleeping within you!"

"Coming right up!" Ao then flew up and dived into an Xyz portal, from which a powerful blizzard began to billow out!

" _Hear the tortured cries of the innocent, and sharpen your resolve! Gather the freezing wind beneath your wings, and purge this world of all who relish in torment! Rank Up, Xyz Change! Soar throughout the heavens, as the embodiment of my unyielding will! Rank 5!_ _ **Unwavering Soul of the Trinity, Neo-Ao-Yuki!**_ _"_

A bright pillar of blue light then shot out of the portal, hiding a shadowed form within it. As the light died down, a blue humanoid bird was revealed about the same size as before with four blue overlay units flying around her. She possessed arms and legs like the normal Pendulum Trinity monsters, yet possessed 2 pairs of the same wings and the talons on her limbs were still made of sapphire. She wore a deep blue kimono, and in place of the crown with icicles she now possessed a Valkyrie helmet also made completely of sapphire. In the middle of her torso there was an upside-down sapphire triangle that was continuously glowing. As she opened her eyes, which were now emitting soft blue light, she let loose an ear-piercing shriek!

 **Unwavering Soul of the Trinity, Neo-Ao-Yuki** : Xyz/Winged Beast/Water/Rank5

ATK: 2800 DEF: 3600

The Obelisk Force soldiers then backed up at the sight of the monster before them. "S-so what! We'll just have one of our Double Hounds place a counter on that thing!"

Takumi scowled at them. "First of all, SHE is not a thing! She is my friend. Second, were you not paying attention the first time, because Neo-Ao can't be affected by monster effects so long as she has one overlay unit. But that's not all." As Takumi smirked, Neo-Ao then began to sing something with wings and arms spread. A powerful blizzard then began to blow about the field, causing ice to form over the hounds and the Obelisk Force to shiver from the cold.

One of the soldiers were able to hold themselves together long enough to respond. "W-w-what's… what's ha-ha-happen-ning?"

Takumi continued to scowl at them, not at all affected by the cold. "So long as Neo-Ao has Ao-Yuki as an overlay unit, then for every overlay unit she has, each monster on your field loses ATK and DEF equal to 100x their level or rank."

Yu's eyes widened as he calculated the results. "Each of their monsters are level 5 and 7. 100x that multiplied by 4 is…"

Takumi smirked at Yu's math. "Yup. The Double Hounds each lose 2000 ATK and DEF, while the Triple Hounds lose 2800!"

The soldiers then backed up in shock at that. "What?!" They then watched helplessly as their monsters were frozen over completely.

1400x3 – 0x3

1800x3 – 0x3

"And that's not all!" Everyone looked back at Takumi, who was still smirking. "The reverse effect also applies to Neo-Ao."

Once again Yu's eyes widened in shock of the scale of that ability. "But that means…"

"Neo-Ao-Yuki now gains ATK and DEF equal to 100x her Rank, multiplied by her overlay units!"

"BEHOLD MY TRUE STRENGTH! FOR IT WAS BORN FROM THE DESIRE TO PROTECT THE WEAK!" Neo-Ao then flew up with the blizzard winds, as the sapphire on her chest glowed even brighter.

2800 – 4800

"I-IMPOSSIBLE!" The soldiers had now been frozen in fear (and a little bit from the blizzard) of the power before them.

Takumi then took one last card from his hand. "Finally, I equip Neo-Ao with the equip spell **Supersonic Wings**."

Ao looked at her wings as they gained a metallic sheen. "OH, TAKUMI! GOOD TO KNOW YOU UNDERSTAND THAT GIRLS LIKE SHINY THINGS!" Hearing Ao's words caused him to sweat-drop out of embarrassment.

'Thank GOD that I'm the only one who can hear her.' Takumi shook the thoughts from his head. "Now then, thanks to the effect of this card, Neo-Ao can now attack every monster you control once each!"

"B-but that means-!"

"That you all are out of luck!" At Takumi's statement, Ao gave out a cry with arms held out wide as dozens of spears of ice formed in the air around her. "NEO-AO-YUKI! END THIS WITH ARCTIC INSURGENCE!"

"REPENT FOR YOUR SINS!" Ao then brought her hands together as every spear was sent straight at the Gear monsters, even as more were formed and fired in succession! As the barrage of ice struck the monsters, they let out howls of pain and exploded, removing the remainder of the Obelisk Forces' Life Points and sending them flying back to the end of the bridge. In fact, the barrage wound up destroying the middle of the bridge they had been dueling on!

"GAAARRRGH!"

Yu and the rest of the response team looked on in astonishment as the monsters that remained disappeared as Takumi sent a fierce look at the Obelisk Force members sprawled on the other side of the gap. He then blinked a couple of times, then gained a look of confusion on his face quickly followed by a look of shock. "Oi, oi, oi… What did you just do Ao?"

"Sorry…" Takumi turned his head to see the ordinary form of Ao rubbing the back of her head with her wing, while Aka and Ki looked at her with a mix between skepticism and worry. "I guess I got a little carried away there."

Takumi blinked, then replied softly. "A little?!"

Aka then let out a sigh. "As you can seem, she can be a little TOO strong willed sometimes." Ki then began a bout of laughter while Ao sweat-dropped in embarrassment.

Takumi just chuckled nervously. "Hehe. So that's what she's like in her stronger form. I may need to be more careful about using you guys that way." He then looked back at the Obelisk Force in time to catch the last traces of a dimensional shift. "Ah crud! So much for gaining access to their systems with the new features. Oh well." He then turned back to the others who were still shocked at what just happened, but snapped out of it when Takumi addressed them. "Alright everyone! If you can walk, help those that need it. We're heading back to LDS!"

* * *

While they were reluctant at first and it had gotten pretty dark out by then, but Takumi did manage to lead them to LDS after a short while. Luckily for them, Reiji had arranged for a medical team to meet them there. After making sure everyone was being checked over, he went to find Reiji to get an idea of the situation.

"Takumi!" He stopped at the sound of his voice and turned to see Yu looking at him, a small smile on his face. "Thanks for the help."

Takumi smiled back at him. "No problem." He then left for the observation room.

As he got there, he saw multiple screens showing the participants of the Royale and more members of the Obelisk Force in the area. Reiji greeted him as he arrived, eyes locked on the multiple screens.

Takumi walked up next to him and looked about the screens. "So, how are things looking?"

"It would appear that the forces we were expecting have arrived in search of Serena. We found her as she came across Yuzu, who has convinced her to question what Academia is up to. She is now searching for Shun's location to question him directly after Yuzu switched clothes with her, acting as a decoy to buy time for her."

"Wait what?! She's acting as a decoy?! Ah, maaan… Okay, Shun can handle himself, so where can I find Yuzu?"

"Glaciers. Also, we have some cards that may complement your Pendulum cards." Reiji held out a stack of cards to Takumi, who quickly took them and ran to the lift.

"Thanks! Let me know of anything else that comes up!" He then went as quickly as he could to where Yuzu was.

* * *

As Takumi ran through the field of ice, he followed the signal that represented Yuzu on his tracker. His eyes widened as he saw 3 Academia signals converging on her location and he double-timed it. As he got to the edge of a ledge, he looked down and saw Yuzu wearing what he assumed were Serena's clothes as she was cornered by 3 grinning members of the Obelisk Force. Thinking fast, he jumped down between Yuzu and the soldiers and started his disk as they all watched in surprise, Yuzu most of all. "Takumi!?"

"No time to explain. I'll hold these guys off, while you go get some distance." Yuzu opened her mouth to argue but Takumi cut her off. "I heard everything. You're buying time for that Serena girl right? Then the best thing you can do is to keep these guys chasing after you than by staying near them."

Yuzu shut her mouth and thought about Takumi's words, then nodded. "Alright fine. But you have some things to explain yourself, so you better catch up!"

"Deal. Now go!" She then turned and ran off, while Takumi faced the irritated Obelisk duelists. "Alright then, let's see how long it takes me to wipe the floor with you lot!"

Meanwhile, from the roof of a nearby building, a pair of figures watched the development. One had wavy orange hair and was wearing an orange suit. The other had purple hair, a similarly colored uniform, and a malicious look on his face. "Oh-ho-ho? Who might this be?"

"Ah, that would be Takumi. He is a rather interesting duelist. He's a friend of that Yuya fella I was just telling you about."

"Oh? No matter. I'll simply card him if he gets in the way."

"You'll do no such thing Yuri." They both turned behind them to see a boy in black and red with a fierce look on his face. "After all, he is MY prey."

Orange then smiled brightly at the new arrival. "Ah, Ryuuji-chan!"

"What have I said about calling me that Dennis? It's really getting on my nerves!"

"Now, now, no need for that. We're all friends here."

"'Friends' and 'comrades' don't mean the same thing. Now then, don't you think about carding him Yuri. I still need to show him what I can do when I'm serious."

Yuri smiled a predatory smile. "Oh? So he was the one that removed you from the local tournament. Interesting… Fine then. But if he does get in my way, I will dispose of him."

"Then I'll just keep him out of your way." Ryuuji smiled a malicious smile, as they all turned to the site of Takumi beginning the duel against the soldiers. "I recommend you two go perform your tasks while I make sure Takumi here is… occupied."

Yuri smirked at the choice of words and looked at the path that Yuzu took. "Very well. Do keep him busy." He then hopped off the building and went around the spot where Takumi was about to duel the soldiers in pursuit of Yuzu.

Dennis just shrugged his shoulders and turned to the other side. "Well then, I'm going to go and make myself friendly. Someone has to keep an eye on Serena. Have fun!" He then hopped of as well, leaving Ryuuji on the roof, watching in anticipation.

"Oh, I will."

* * *

And another one down. This time, I have shown off the last of my 'Wing' monsters, the runt of my archetype, and the Ranked-Up form of Ao. For those who were curious, I chose to reveal Ao first because of how Shun gave Takumi a card. That way, it's similar to how Yuya became able to Fusion through involvement with Sora.

Now then, I've decided to change Takumi's outfit due to a friend, and am looking for ideas on what I can do. Let me know about any ideas you may have, as well as any card or story ideas that you think might be interesting. And lastly, let me know how I'm doing at story writing!

 **OC cards**

 **Ambush Wing** : Winged Beast-type/Earth/level2

ATK: 800 DEF: 500

If your opponent declares an attack, you can discard this card from your hand to negate the attack, then you can special summon a level 4 or lower Winged Beast-type monster from your hand. If this card is summoned (except during your turn), your opponent cannot declare an attack until after your next turn.

 **Hatchling of the Trinity** : Winged Beast-type/Earth/level2

ATK: 500 DEF: 500

When this card is destroyed in battle, add 1 "Trinity" card from your deck to your hand. Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can discard one card to activate one of the following effects:

You can immediately perform a Fusion summon using monsters on your field as materials.

You can treat this card as a tuner monster and immediately perform a Synchro summon for an appropriate monster using this card and monsters on the field as materials.

You can target a number of Winged Beast-type monsters you control, then declare a number from 1 to 4. This card and the target monster(s) are treated as that level and can be used in an immediate Xyz Summon for an appropriate monster.

 **Supersonic Wings:** Spell/equip

Only equip to a Winged Beast-type monster you control. Other monsters you control cannot attack. The equipped monster is unaffected by other spell or trap effects and can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each.

 **Unwavering Soul of the Trinity, Neo-Ao-Yuki** : Xyz/Winged Beast/Water/Rank5

ATK: 2800 DEF: 3600

2 or more level 5 Winged Beast-Type monsters

" _Hear the tortured cries of the innocent, and sharpen your resolve! Let their pain become the wind beneath your wings, and show them a world without oppression!" "Soar throughout the heavens, as the embodiment of my unyielding will!"_

While this card has Xyz material, Winged Beast-type monsters you control are unaffected by your opponent's monster effects. Once per turn, if this card has at least 2 attached Xyz materials, special summon one of them during your End Phase. While this card has a "Soul of the Trinity, Ao-Yuki" attached as Xyz material, it gains the following effects:

Your opponent's monsters lose ATK and DEF equal to the number of attached Xyz materials on this card multiplied by their level/rank x100.

Winged Beast-type monsters you control gain ATK and DEF equal to the number of attached Xyz material on this card multiplied by their level/rank x100.

When a Winged Beast-type monster(s) you control would be removed from the field, you may instead remove 1 Xyz material from this card.


	12. Shine against the darkness

Alright, took me a while to figure out how I wanted this chapter to go, but I'm glad I finally figured it out. Anyway, quick answer to reviews.

Trafalar D Water Law: Nice idea for the Takumi's new outfit! Unless someone gives me a reason not to, I'll be looking for a means of implementing it.

RoyalTwinFangs: Thanks for the suggestions for Takumi's deck. The cards are old favorites of mine, and I look forward to finding a way to use them in the future.

Guest: I can totally see Takumi doing that at some point, just not sure when I will have him do so. Still, love your idea.

Now then, here's the chapter you're all waiting for. Enjoy!

* * *

"Gaaargh!" As the last of the three Obelisk duelists were thrown back, Takumi let out a sigh in relief. The duel had gone longer than when he just jumped into the one with the Youth Group, but he managed to beat them none-the-less.

"Finally. Now to catch up to Yuzu." He then turned in the direction that she ran off in. "Hope she's still alright."

"I wonder about that."

Takumi turned I surprise at the voice, and saw Ryuuji standing on the other side of the clearing. "Ryuuji? What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd have a little fun." He then held up a disk different from the one he used earlier, but eerily similar to the ones that the Obelisk Force was using.

Takumi's eyes widened in shock. "That disk…" He then checked the systems in his own disk and confirmed his thoughts. "That's an Academia Disk!"

Ryuuji smirked at him. "Oh? So you really do know about us. Then this should be easy to explain. I've been given the task of keeping you busy, so I hope you're ready for that rematch." He then entered a battle stance, his black Academia Disk revealing a red sword-like blade. "Because this time, I'll be going all-out from the start!"

Takumi didn't even move. "Why? Why do I need to be kept busy? Why were you in the tournament? What's going on here!?"

Ryuuji just kept smirking. "It isn't that difficult is it? When preparing for war, who do you send in first? The vanguards, or the scouts? That would be me. If you thought that Sora would be the only person that Academia would send in as a spy, then you really must be dense."

Takumi took an anxious gulp as the Trinity formed around him. "Alright then, good point. Then maybe you can tell me why."

Ryuuji raised an eyebrow. "Why what?"

"Why this war? Why is Academia starting a war against the other dimensions? Why reduce the Xyz dimension into a warzone?!"

Ryuuji grinned at him. "Oh, that's simple. We seek to unify the dimensions."

Takumi was dumbstruck. "Unify the dimensions?"

"Of course. We struck the Xyz dimension for that very purpose. Eventually, we will even assimilate the Synchro dimension, and this Standard dimension. Soon, all the worlds will be one, and a utopia will be born from the work of Academia!"

Aka, Ki and Ao were horrified at what they just heard, while Takumi was speechless. After a couple of minutes, he looked outright hateful. "A utopia? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Ryuuji was surprised at the outburst, but watched as Takumi calmed himself somewhat. He then looked at him with fierce eyes. "Don't you dare talk about creating a utopia, when using methods that involve pain and conflict! Heartland was a peaceful place, where people just wanted to smile while dueling. Then you people came along… You took the game they loved and turned it into a battle to survive, turning friends and family into cards!"

Ryuuji just raised an eyebrow at him. "So?"

Takumi widened his eyes in shock. "'So?' That's all you have to say!?"

Ryuuji just shrugged his shoulders. "To be fair, I don't really care for the war myself. But…" He then grinned maliciously at Takumi. "This gives me a great opportunity to find strong opponents to test myself with! Back at Academia, I was in the class just ahead of Sora. In fact, I was the best of my class. I had even already beaten some of the instructors with my skill, giving me the opportunity to become an advance agent. At that point, I had begun to run out of people I could beat, the only ones remaining being some of the top duelists in Academia. Then I was handed the chance to get first dips on the strongest duelists in another world! There isn't anything I find more fun than going up against a strong opponent!"

Takumi glared at Ryuuji. "So you don't care one bit about a war, in which even non-duelists get wrapped up in the conflict?!"

Ryuuji furrowed his brow at that. "Non-duelists? What are you talking about? Only the duelists need worry about the war, since they are the ones capable of fighting."

Takumi's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Really?" 'But Shun mentioned that even the civilians in the Xyz dimension were turned into cards. Does he not know that?' "If that's the case, what do you think of those who are helpless being turned into cards?"

"Pointless and cowardly. If they can't offer a fight, then it isn't worth the time to do so."

"And if every soldier that was sent from Academia did so?"

Ryuuji snorted at him. "Nice try. I may not care about the war, but I happen to know that the soldiers of Academia have too much pride to stoop to that level."

"Is that so? How would you know that? Have you seen for yourself the things that they did there? Or were you sent straight here?" As Takumi talked, Ryuuji looked angrier and angrier. "Did you actually see footage of what was happening in the other worlds, or did you blindly believe all you were told?"

"SILENCE!" Takumi actually flinched slightly at the response and watched as Ryuuji was practically seething at him. "I will not let you slander the name of Academia. If you wish to keep spewing nonsense, then at least be dueling me as you do so!" He then lifted his disk back into the ready position.

Takumi grimaced, before setting his own disk into position. "Fine then. Guess I'll just have to convince you with the rematch I promised you!"

DUEL!

Takumi: 4000

Ryuuji: 4000

"I'll go first this time! I summon Protector of the Trinity in Defense mode and place 2 cards face-down! Your move."

"Heh. Not much of an opening move. Allow me to show you how I really play. Draw!" He looked at his new card and smirked. "Nice. I activate **Fusion Fountain!** Now, whenever a Fusion monster is summoned, the one who played it gains life points equal to 200x its level. But that's just the basic stuff. Now I'll play Red-Eyes Fusion!"

Takumi narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "That's new."

"To you maybe. But this happens to be one of my favorite cards. After all, it lets me Fusion summon a monster that lists a "Red-eyes" card as a Fusion material, using cards in my hand, on my field, or even in my deck!"

"From the deck?!"

Ryuuji smirked at him. "Correct. The only downside is that I can't summon any other monsters on the turn that I play this card. But that is a small price to pay for the monster I'm about to bring out. Now then, I'll take the Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon and the Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact in my deck and send them off." As he sent the 2 monsters to his graveyard, they appeared behind him before rising up high into a vortex.

" _Blazing dragon with eyes of red, inherit the strength of the meteor of darkness and descend before us in a fiery blaze! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Meteor Black Comet Dragon!"_ Appearing behind him was a large black dragon that looked as if its scales had molten lava underneath them. As it landed, it let loose a deafening roar!

Takumi had covered his ears as the beast roared, just managing to recover. "Okay… It can certainly make an impact."

Ryuuji grinned at him. "Oh you have no idea. But first, my spell card gives me life points equal to 200x the level of Meteor." As his dragon glowed purple, Ryuuji was bathed in purple light from his spell.

Ryuuji: 4000 – 5600

"Next, because when this fella is Fusion Summoned, then I get to send another "Red-Eyes" card from my deck to the graveyard, and deal damage to you equal to half of its ATK! So now I'll dispose of my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning to hit you for 1250 points of damage!" As the darker version of Summoned Skull appeared, Meteor Dragon then turned it into energy and coalesced it in its hand, releasing it as a large fireball heading straight for Takumi.

"I activate the effect of the Siphon Wing in my hand and special summon it!" The blue bird then appeared and flew straight at the fireball, absorbing it into its feathers before glowing blue. "And so long as it's on the field, any damage you try to deal with an effect is turned into a healing effect!"

Takumi: 4000 – 5250

Ryuuji then glared at him. "Fine then. I'll now activate the effect of the Black Metal Dragon in my hand and equip it to my Black Comet." A small wyvern-esque creature made of metal appeared, then flew up on top of the head of Ryuuji's Fusion monster. "This card now increases the ATK of the equipped monster by 600. And while it can normally only equip to a Red-Eyes monster, the effect of my Red-Eyes Fusion makes the name of my Black Comet become Red-Eyes Black Dragon, so this is acceptable."

3500 – 4100

"Now I'll roast that little blue bird! Blazing Dark Meteor!"

As the massive dragon began to charge a fireball, Protector moved in front of Siphon. "So long as Protector is on my field, my opponent cannot select another Winged Beast for an attack!"

"Then I'll just blast it instead!" Black Comet then released its blast, causing a massive explosion. As it cleared, he was surprised to see that the monster was still there, with a smirking Takumi behind it. "So long as Protector is in Defense mode, he cannot be destroyed in battle!"

"Tsk. Fine then. I place 1 card face-down and end my turn."

"I draw." As he looked through the cards at his disposal, Aka perched himself on his shoulder. "Be careful Takumi. This duel will be unlike any other you have ever been a part of."

"Well, you're right about that. First, I activate Graceful Charity, to draw 3 cards then discard 2. Now I'll take the discarded Raiza the Mega Monarch and activate Scattered Feathers. By banishing Raiza, I'll draw 1 card for every 2 levels he possessed. This lets me get 4 cards." By the end of that, Takumi had 5 cards in his hand. "Hmm. I summon my **Storm-dancer of the Trinity**." Out came a birdman dressed similarly to Scout and holding a pair of blue fans.

 **Storm-Dancer of the Trinity** : Winged Beast-Type/Water/lvl4/Sc7

ATK:1600 DEF:1200

Ryuuji lifted an eyebrow. "Not enough to hurt me you know."

"Not now. Next, since I control a Winged Beast-type monster, I can summon Blade Wing." The red bird landed next to the dancer. "I now tune my level 2 Blade Wing and my level 4 Storm-dancer to my level 2 Siphon Wing!

 _Wielding the speed of lightning and the power of thunder! Gather the storm clouds, and strike down all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Descend from the skies, level 8! Strength of the Trinity, Ki-Rai!"_

As Ki came down with a crack of lightning, he gave out a powerful shriek. "The big guns have arrived!"

Ryuuji looked at the large avian before him. "So you can Synchro as well? While interesting, this isn't enough for you to beat my Dragon."

"Well he's about to get a power boost! When Synchro summoned, Ki-Rai deals damage to you equal to the number of Synchro materials x400. And if my opponent takes effect damage, Ki then gains ATK equal to the damage until the end of the next turn! Static Discharge!"

"One burst of lightning coming right up!" Ki then charged himself with electricity and sent it out at Ryuuji, dealing damage while simultaneously charging himself up.

Ryuuji: 5600 – 4400

2800 – 4000

Ryuuji just shook it off. "Not bad, but my monster is still stronger."

Takumi just smiled at him. "For now. I now set Vanguard of the Trinity in my Pendulum Zone!" As Takumi's monster rose in the pillar of light, it raised its spear and gave a war cry. "While Vanguard is in the Pendulum Zone, all of my Winged Beast-type monsters gain 300 ATK, making Ki-Rai stronger than your Black Comet!"

4000 – 4300

"Alright Ki! Take that thing down with Devastating Storm Strike!"

"Come on big guy! Let's rumble!" Ki and Comet then flew up into the sky, where they each tried to take down the other, sending their respective blast attacks and colliding every so often, before Ki managed to knock the other off balance. He then took the opportunity to form the electricity around him into the usual arrowhead, then charged at the massive dragon, creating a massive explosion!

Ryuuji: 4400 – 4300

"Not bad, but now the effects of my Black Comet and Black Metal Dragons now activate. First, I'll use the effect of my Black Metal to add one "Red-Eyes" card from my deck to my hand. I'll take one Red-Eyes Black Dragon. And now, my Black Comet will let me summon a normal monster in my graveyard. Revive, Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning!" The ice next to him glowed red and gave off steam, before his Archfiend burst free with a roar!

Takumi smirked at him. "Nice try, but it's still the Battle Phase, and Ki-Rai can attack every monster you control once each!" The thunderbird then swooped down from its position in the sky and charged at the demon, once more coated in electricity.

Ryuuji just smirked. "I activate Negate Attack! This stops your attack and ends the Battle Phase!" Ki then struck a barrier that pushed him into the ice wall behind Takumi.

"Ki! Are you okay?!"

"Grrrgh. I hate tricks like that."

Takumi let out a relieved sigh, then turned to Ryuuji in confusion. "If you had that card, why didn't you play it when I attacked Black Comet?"

"I know enough about your monster now to know that I won't be rid of it if I simply protected Black Comet. This way, I got to add another Red-Eyes to my hand, and can set things up for later."

"In other words, you're using your deck's craftiness to its full ability."

Clapping, Ryuuji smiled at him. "Indeed, well done. Anything else you wish to add?"

"No, just another face-down. Your move."

"Thank you. Draw! I activate Cards of the Red Stone. I now discard my Red-Eyes Black Dragon to draw 2 cards, then send a Red-Eyes Flare Dragon from my deck to the graveyard." As Ryuuji sent the dragons to the grave, he looked at the 4 cards now in his hand, and gained a malicious smile. "Alright! Now you'll see what I'm really capable of! I activate **Dimensional Echo Fusion!** "

As Ryuuji played the card, the clouds above them gained a purple hue as a strong wind blew around them. Takumi observed the change in weather in confusion. "What's going on?"

Ryuuji grinned at him. "This is the power of my Fusion card. First, I get to use it to fuse monsters on my field or in my hand. So I'll now fuse the Ancient Gear Knight and King Pyron in my hand!" Appearing behind him were a mechanical soldier wielding a lance and shield, next to a humanoid form made entirely of fire, complete with a burning cape. The 2 monsters then rose up into the purple clouds as they begun to swirl.

" _Loyal knight that carries ancient spirits, pledge yourself to the king of flames! Unite the potentials within you both, and create the one that awakens true power! Fusion Summon! Come forth, Superalloy Beast Raptinus!"_

A beam of purple light then shot down from the clouds. Appearing from the impact was a dragon-like monster that appeared to be a mish-mash of numerous different creatures. Takumi could even see what looked like stitches! "Yikes. That monster may not be tough, by it sure looks creepy."

"Thanks to my spell card, I gain life points equal to 200x its level." Takumi focused his attention back on Ryuuji, who now had a massive grin on his face as he was bathed in more purple light.

Ryuuji: 4300 – 5900

"And that's not all. I now activate the second effect of my Dimensional Echo Fusion. By banishing this card, I may now Fusion summon any number of monsters from my Extra Deck who can use those same 2 fusion materials in my graveyard!"

Takumi's eyes widened in shock. "You can what?!"

"Yup. And I sent the perfect 2 monsters to do it! First of all, since my Knight and Pyron are treated as normal monsters in the graveyard, I can summon a monster that requires just that!" The spirits of Takumi's 2 monsters then appeared behind him. Each then raised an arm and sent purple energy up into the clouds and creating a stronger vortex within them.

" _Loyal knight that carries ancient spirits, pledge yourself to the king of flames! Trace your lineage to ancient times, and awaken the first apex predator! Fusion Summon! Come forth, First of the Dragons!"_

As the second beam shot down, it released a large serpentine dragon with massive wings and a long body. It then roared before it hovered into place behind a smirking Ryuuji. "Normally, for every monster I summon this way, I have to pay life points after summoning them equal to 200x their level, as well as banish the material monsters when I'm done. But my Fountain activates whenever I Fusion Summon for 200x that monster's level. In which case…"

Takumi felt a sense of dread as he connected the dots. "So as long as that card is out, you can bring in extra monsters for free!"

"Ding-ding-ding! We have a winner!" The spirits of his Knight and King then raised an arm towards him and emitted more purple light, only for the Fountain card to appear and send energy to them instead. "With this, I can keep summoning with no worry. So I'll do just that! I once again fuse a monster using Ancient Gear Knight and King Pyron!" The 2 spirits then shot off yet another pair of beams into the swirling clouds.

" _Loyal knight that carries ancient spirits, pledge yourself to the king of flames! Melt the steel in the inferno, and burn everything to ashes with your new fiery form! Fusion Summon! Come forth, Blaze Fenix, the Burning Bombardment Bird!"_

The phoenix-like monster burst free from its own beam of light with a shriek as its wings blazed brightly, taking position next to the First of the Dragons. "I'm not done yet! I can still summon 1 more time! Knight! Pyron! Once more!

 _Loyal knight that carries ancient spirits, pledge yourself to the king of flames! Temper the steel in the inferno, and ignite the engine of destruction with your combined might! Fusion summon! Come forth, Ignition Beast Volcannon!"_

Appearing from the final beam was a large dino-esque machine that gave a roar of its own, as it then stood next to Ryuuji's Archfiend, giving him a full field of almost entirely Fusion monsters. Takumi looked Ryuuji's line-up in shock. "4 consecutive Fusion summons with only 2 monsters?! This can't be real!"

"HAHAHAHA! If you think that was interesting, then get a load of this! When Volcannon is Fusion Summoned, I can destroy this card and one monster you control, then deal damage to you equal to the ATK of your monster in the graveyard! Volcannon! Destroy Ki-Rai!" The mechanical beast let out a roar and started running towards Ki, who flew out of its range in order to avoid it.

"Oi! I'm no fan of hugging people I just met!" Volcannon then roared at him, and used a rocket propelled leap to try and grab him. Ki just barely managed to get out of the way. "WOAH! Takumi, hurry up now!"

"Right! I activate Pendulum Reborn! With this, I can revive a Pendulum monster in my Extra Deck, so now my Storm-dancer can give an encore!" The monster then appeared and began a dance of its own. "While Storm-dancer is on my field, I'm allowed to change the battle mode of 1 Winged Beast I control to negate a card effect to destroy cards on the field and destroy it! I switch Storm-dancer to Defense mode to negate and destroy Volcannon!"

As Storm-dancer continued its dance, the clouds lost their purple hue and rain began to fall. As Ki continued to dodge Volcannon's "Rocket Hugs", lightning began to crack before a large thunderbolt shot down and struck Volcannon at the highest point of its latest jump. It let out a loud roar as the lightning coursed through it before it exploded, much to Ki's satisfaction. "That's right! That's what you get for messing with us!" Takumi sweat-dropped at Ki's antics before he heard clapping.

"Bravo Takumi, not bad. But I still have more tricks up my sleeves. Do you? I activate the effect of Blaze Fenix! For every card on the field, I get to hit you for 300 points of damage! I have 4 monsters and 1 spell, you have 3 monsters, 1 card in a Pendulum Zone, and 2 face-downs. So now you take 3300 points of damage! Blaze Bombardment!" Fenix then gave a loud shriek and flew up above them, before raining 11 large fireballs down at Takumi.

"I activate Swooping In! I negate the damage and special summon a Winged Beast-type monster in my hand! I summon Sacred Crane!" The blessed bird then appeared and grabbed Takumi by the shoulders, carrying him away from the impacts of the fireballs, the rest of his monsters following behind him. After flying about for a minute meters, Crane landed him on a larger clearing of ice. "Crane then lets me draw 1 card for Special summoning it." As he drew his card, he watched the approaching forms of Ryuuji's monsters, First and Fenix by air with Raptinus and Archfiend flanking him.

"Hmmm. This is makes what happened in our last duel look like amateur hour. You weren't holding back before, were you?"

"Hehehe… I was kinda trying to get through to someone at the time."

Ryuuji raised an eyebrow at that. "You used our duel… as a means of sending a message?"

"Something like that. That Blade Burner I used against you was a gift from him. I wanted to win my duel using him in order to prove to him that I am a friend."

"… Ridiculous." Takumi looked at him in surprise. "Dueling is a test of strength and skill. Meaningless things such as friendship don't belong in the same world as dueling."

"You're wrong! Dueling is a game above everything else! Anyone who can condone using it for violence doesn't understand how much fun it really can be!"

"Oh I agree there. After all…" He then gave Takumi a ferocious smile. "I have a LOT of fun bringing down strong duelists! Since Raptinus is on the field, he automatically gives Archfiend access to his Gemini effect!" Raptinus then let loose a roar, as Archfiend became charged with red lightning! "Now, once per turn, I can destroy every monster you control with less DEF than Archfiend's ATK! Crimson Storm!"

Archfiend shot lighting up with a roar, casting red light from the storm clouds above. Ki looked at the clouds nervously. "Uh, Takumi? You got something for this too, right?"

Takumi sweated a little. "Uh, yeah but… I kinda used it against Volcannon already." As Storm-dancer looked at Ki spoloetically, Takumi looked through the rest of his cards for a counter, but the crimson light shot down before he could, striking all 4 of his monsters at once.

"GAAARRGH! Takumi! Make him pay for thiiiiiiiis!" As Ki and the rest cried from the pain, they were then destroyed!

"KI!"

"Hahaha!" Takumi turned his attention to the laughing Ryuuji. "Haha! And the best part of all this, I still have 3 monsters that can attack, each with over 2000 ATK points. You're done!"

Takumi grinned at him. "I wouldn't say that. I may have been unable to protect my monsters, but I can avenge them! I activate **Rescue Wing**! When a Winged Beast-type monster I control is destroyed, I can take a Winged Beast-type in my graveyard and return them to my deck. Then, I can summon a Winged Beast-type in my deck with a lower level! I return my Sacred Crane to my deck, and summon Necro Wing!"

As the black bird appeared on the field, Ryuuji just smirked. "Seriously? So you can stop one of my attacks. That isn't enough to stop my assault."

"Sure it is. I just have to use the effect of Necro Wing and special summon a level 4 or lower Winged Beast-type monster in my graveyard. And thanks to my earlier Graceful Charity, I have just the card! Come on out! Ambush Wing!" The EARTH counter part of the Wing monsters appeared, quickly flapping its wings and sending sand at Ryuuji's monsters. "And when Ambush Wing is summoned outside of my turn, my opponent cannot declare an attack until after my next turn!"

Ryuuji looked at him annoyed. "Geez, you really like to deny other people what they want, don't you?"

"Only if what they want is something bad."

"And all I want is to have fun proving my strength!"

"THAT ISN'T FUN! THAT'S SELFISH SATISFACTION!" Ryuuji was taken aback at Takumi's outburst and wasn't able to respond as he continued angrily. "Fun is something you share with others, it's something that connects people together, and dueling is meant to communicate your wills with others. It's not when you prove yourself greater than others, or break their spirits! All that you or any of the people from Academia are doing is being selfish and cruel to EVERYONE YOU MEET! YOU MADE THE LIVES OF EVERY PERSON FROM XYZ A LIVING HELL WITH YOUR ACTIONS!"

Ryuuji was shocked at the outburst, not once having heard such a thing, from anyone in any dimension. He simply watched as Takumi took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "… Fine then." Takumi looked at him curiously, not sure what he meant. "You say dueling is a means of communicating with other, then communicate. Prove to me that you speak the truth. I activate **Fusion Gift**! For every Fusion monster on the field, I can draw one card. There are currently 3, so I'll draw 3 cards."

He looked at the cards he drew and smiled. "I summon Black Dragon's Chick." Out came a small red egg. The top part of it then broke away, revealing a tiny version of Ryuuji's Red-eyes with a tiny roar. "I then release my chick to special summon a certain someone from my hand. Time to grow up Red-Eyes!" The tiny dragon then glowed bright red as it then transformed into its adult form, letting loose a more ferocious roar!

"But he isn't staying for long! I release my Red-Eyes Black Dragon and infuse it with the power of the shadows!" His dragon's eyes then glowed a bright red, as it was then surrounded by a sphere of shadows. " _Gather the darkness in the world, and unleash true terror! Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!"_

Takumi could only watch in awe as Red-Eyes came out in a new terrifying form. As it roared, he could see the shadows of several of Ryuuji's dragons. "For every dragon in the graveyard, Red-Eyes Darkness gains 300 ATK. I count Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact, 2 Red-Eyes Black Dragons, 2 Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragons, my Black Dragon's Chick, and my Meteor Black Comet Dragon! That's 2100 ATK points!"

2400 – 4500

Takumi stepped back in shock. "That's even stronger than the Black Comet was with Black Metal!"

Ryuuji grinned at him. "This is the most powerful card in my deck. If you truly think you're right, then bring down my Darkness Dragon and beat the full force of my deck! Not that you can, after all you only have those 2 birds and not a single card in your hand."

Takumi looked at the monsters before him, thinking if he even could do such a thing. 'I may be able to bring down his Darkness Dragon, but I have no idea how to deal with the rest as well! What can I do?'

"You can have hope." Takumi looked to the side and saw Aka had formed next to him. "The situation may seem dire Takumi, but you have to remember. This is exactly what you have been hoping for. If we can succeed here, you may be able to appeal to a member of Fusion and bring them to our side."

Takumi thought about those words, and looked back at Ryuuji and his monsters. He then closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. After he let it out, he gave a determined look to Ryuuji. "That's right. This is my chance to show him the true meaning of dueling. So I can't give up until the final card is played! My turn! DRAW! I activate the spell card Pot of Greed! I now draw 2 cards!" He then looked the 2 cards he had to really on to get him out of this situation. 'With this… I may have a chance after all!'

Takumi then sent a grin at Ryuuji. "Alright Ryuuji! I'm going to gamble what happens with this card. I set Scout of the Trinity in the remaining Pendulum Zone!"

As Takumi's second Pendulum monster appeared, Ryuuji looked on in confusion. "Hang on, if both of your monsters have the same scale, then isn't it impossible to Pendulum?"

Takumi just shrugged. "Kinda. Thing is, I don't want to Pendulum right now anyway. I just want to use the effect of Scout. Once, while this card is in the Pendulum Zone, I can look at cards on the top of my deck equal to the number of cards you control! You have 5 monsters and 1 spell card in play, so I get to look at the top 6 cards and send them anywhere I want on the top or bottom of my deck. But, for every monster you control, I can add 1 Winged Beast to my hand from among the chosen cards! A gamble on whether or not I can get the cards I need to beat you… Isn't that exciting?"

Ryuuji looked at him in surprise. "Exciting?"

"Of course! Don't you remember what happened after our last duel? The entire audience was going nuts for the both of us! It kept going back and forth on who had the advantage, and neither of us was really going all out then! This time, you're bringing you're A-game and I'm fighting back with everything I can get my hands on! If something like this didn't get your blood pumping, then I don't know if you're even human!"

Ryuuji could only watch in shock at Takumi's words as he took the chance he was aiming for. "Alright! Help me out Scout!" Scout turned its head towards Takumi with a smirk and tossed him one of the knives he carried. As Takumi caught the knife, he waved the point over the top of his deck as it and the top 6 cards glowed. Takumi then threw the knife back at Scout and placed his hand on his deck, taking one last deep breath. He then picked up and looked through the cards Scout gave him to look at. "… 6 cards to look through and only 3 Monsters." He then gave a big smirk. "Good thing they are exactly the cards I need to win this! So I'll just put these in my hand while I put the rest on the bottom for now. Now for the finale to begin, with a Pendulum Summon!"

"Wait, but you can't Pendulum! You yourself confirmed that you can't Pendulum using cards with the same scale!"

"True. So I'll just have to change the scale! I activate Pendulum Shift! With this, I can change the Pendulum Scale of 1 card in my Pendulum Zone to anything from 1 to 12 until the End Phase! I now declare that Scout has a Scale of 1!" The number beneath Scout then dropped from 7 to 1. "With the new Pendulum Scale, I can simultaneously summon monsters of level 2 through 6! _Wings that carry me to the unknown future! Awaken the infinite potential within, and guide me down the path to success! Pendulum Summon! Flock to me, my avian allies!_ Hatchling of the Trinity! Grand Chieftain of the Trinity! And last but not least, Alector, Sovereign of Birds!"

Ryuuji watched in surprised anticipation as Takumi's field filled up like his own. "Not bad Takumi. But none of those monsters have the strength to overcome Darkness Dragon."

Takumi just grinned at him. "I activate Hatchling's effect! I can use monsters on my field for a Fusion summon without Polymerization!"

Ryuuji's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, you can use Fusion!?"

"This is Standard, where all the summoning methods exist!" The crystal on Hatchling's head then glowed as red energy poured out of it and over his Wing monsters. "I fuse Necro Wing, Siphon Wing, and Hatchling!

 _Young heir to divinity, receive the guidance and blessings of the winged protectors of shadow and stone! Let the flames of passion burn within your hearts, and give rise to the eternal inferno of life! Fusion Summon! Emerge from the flames, Heart of the Trinity, Aka-Ho!"_

Aka appeared with a powerful cry, as flames danced about the field. Ryuuji watched in awe of the Fusion monster before him. "Not bad. But since he doesn't have the strength to beat me either, I'm assuming that there's more to what he's capable of?"

"You bet. For example, when summoned, he destroys every spell and trap on the field, then lets me summon 1 level 4 or lower monster from the graveyard or face-up from the Extra Deck for each. Say goodbye to your Fountain, and hello again to Storm-dancer!" As Aka threw flames about the field, the image of Ryuuji's spell appeared and caught flame. As it was destroyed, the embers gathered up and took the form of Storm-dancer on Takumi's field.

"Hmm. Not sure how this helps you any. Your monster destroyed my spell before you could benefit from it, and I still have the ATK advantage."

"Maybe, but I have faith in my monsters that they will get me through any tough situation, so long as I don't give up! Right Aka!" As Takumi looked to Aka, he gave a loud shriek.

"I will give you every ounce of strength I can muster!" At that, the ruby of Takumi's pendant and Aka's crown glowed, as Takumi felt a force that could purge all malevolence, leaving only purity, just as a new card appeared in his Extra Deck.

"Alright then! Aka-Ho! Gather your kin, and shine your light all throughout the darkness!" Aka let loose another cry as he then flew straight up above, curling up in mid-air and shining all of his rubies as bright as he can.

Ryuuji watched in confusion, as the light then shined down on Takumi's monsters, as well as some of his own! "Wait, what's happening!? What are you doing to my monsters!?"

Takumi just sent him a soft smile. "There is a card in my Extra Deck that can only be summoned by banishing Aka-Ho on the field, as well as any number of Fusion and Winged-Beast-type monsters as the cost. And it doesn't restrict itself to my field alone!"

"You're using my monsters for a summon?!" Ryuuji watched in shock as each of his Fusion monsters were lifted up by the beams of red light and pulled along with Takumi's monsters, straight into the now forming ruby sphere. As the size of the sphere grew with each monster, the light became even brighter, until it resembled a small red sun.

" _Keeper of the never-ending flame! Reach out to the hearts of your kin, and let your inferno become like the sun! Let your light become the beacon of hope that cuts a path through the darkness! Fusion Summon! Set the very heavens ablaze, as the embodiment of my undying hope!_ _ **Radiant Heart of the Trinity, Neo-Aka-Ho**_ _!"_

As the sphere burst apart, Aka gave out a loud shriek in his new form. Like Ao, he now had arms of his own and a second pair of wings. He wore bright red armor like a knight, and possessed long burning red hair that flowed past the base of his wings. In the middle of the armor on his torso there was an upside-down triangle made of Ruby. Behind his back, there was a red disk floating parallel to his back, without getting in the way of his wings. Six ruby triangles then emerged from the rim of the circle and they moved along the edge of the disk like a wheel.

 **Radiant Heart of the Trinity, Neo-Aka-Ho** : Fusion/Winged Beast/Fire/lvl10

ATK: 3200 DEF:3200

Ryuuji was completely captivated by the mere presence of the Fusion monster. "This is… Unlike any Fusion monster I've ever seen!"

"HAHAHA! GLAD TO KNOW THAT THIS FORM HAS AN IMPACT ON OTHERS."

Meanwhile Ki and Ao were watching from the side, as Ki turned to her questioningly. "Come to think of it, why were you wearing that helm in your other form? You hardly ever use it."

"Hmph. Those barbarians from Fusion needed to know exactly how powerful Xyz is. I couldn't exactly have them being distracted by my stronger form's hair." Ki nodded in understanding as they turned their attention back to the duel.

"Neo-Aka can't attack on the turn he was summoned, but I can still use his effects! During the Main Phase, I can target one of Aka's banished Fusion materials and create a Radiant Heart Token!"

"HEAR ME, MY KIN! STAND BESIDE ME IN THIS BATTLE!" One of the triangles then shot off from Neo-Aka's disk and burst into a sphere of ruby-red light.

"The summoned Token becomes a copy of the summoned monster, gaining everything from its ATK and DEF, to its name, and even their effects!" As the sphere died down, a monster that looked just like Alector appeared on the field, except its eyes were a bright red and there was an upside-down ruby triangle on their forehead. "However, for each one I summon, I must pay life points equal to the new level of the token x200."

Takumi: 5250 – 4050

"I activate Neo-Aka's effect again! This time, Storm-dancer!" A second triangle shot off and burst into a copy of Storm-dancer.

Takumi: 4050 – 3450

"I can keep this up all day! I now pay another 1200 to summon a copy of my Chieftain of the Trinity!" The newest token appeared with a war cry.

Takumi: 3450 – 2250

"I'll use this effect 1 last time! Neo-Aka-Ho! Bring in the big guns!" One more triangle shot off, this time turning into a copy of Ryuuji's Fusion monster, First of the Dragons! As it manifested, it gave the loudest roar of them all! "As he is a level 9 monster, I now pay 1800 life points!"

Takumi: 2250 - 450

Ryuuji was actually shocked at what Takumi's monster could do. "Oi, oi, oi… You gotta be kidding me!"

Takumi just grinned at him. "And that's not even the best part! Remember what I said about my Tokens inheriting the effects of the Fusion materials I made them from? Well, Chieftain's effect allows me to increase the ATK of 1 monster on the field by 300 for every attribute present on the field. Your side has DARK, my side has DARK, WIND, EARTH, FIRE and WATER. That's 5 attributes for 1500 ATK! And I think I'll give every one of them to Neo-Ao!" The false Chieftain then surrounded itself in ruby red energy as it let loose a war cry.

3200 - 4700

"Wait, but you said he couldn't attack!?"

"But only because of his effect, and that's exactly why my Alector is here! Once per turn, until the End Phase, Alector can negate the effects of any card on the field! Release the restraints that bind Neo-Aka!"

The false Sovereign then shrieked as it sent reddish winds at Neo-Aka, causing him to glow a bright red and loose a powerful shriek. "I STAND READY, TO END THE DESPAIR IN THE WORLD!"

"WHAT?!"

"Think your blood's pumping now?" At the confused look from Ryuuji, Takumi just laughed. "After all, this is one exciting duel! Things kept on going back and forth on who has the advantage, and who had the stronger monster. You can't possibly tell me that this isn't really fun!"

Ryuuji was unable to move or respond as he thought on those words, recalling every duel he'd ever been in and comparing how he felt in them. 'It couldn't be… Could it?'

"Now then, time to move things along! First of the Dragons! Take down his Archfiend of Lightning! Radiant Ancestral Stream!" The false Dragon then let loose a red-tinted beam of energy from its maw and obliterated the Archfiend!

Ryuuji: 5900 – 5700

"Next, I'll bring down the darkness in your heart! NEO-AKA-HO! ATTACK RED-EYES DARKNESS DRAGON WITH SOLAR FLARE!"

"DARKNESS RULES NO ONE!" Aka then flew up high, the disk on his back and the ruby on his chest glowing brighter and brighter as he gained altitude. By the time he stopped rising, Aka resembled the Sun with how much light he was releasing, making the now night sky become as bright as mid-morning. He then brought his hands before the ruby on his chest and gathered energy from it, releasing it in a powerful beam of light that struck down on Red-Eyes Darkness. As it let out a pained roar, it was eventually destroyed by the onslaught of light.

Ryuuji: 5700 – 5500

"Now then, the rest of my monsters have 2400 ATK, 2100 ATK, and 1600 ATK. That's 6100 ATK to your 5500 life points. You ready? Alright guys, let him have it!" Alector, Chieftain, and Storm then released their respective attacks, throwing Ryuuji off his feet and against a nearby ice wall!

"GAAARGH!"

Ryuuji: 5500 – 0

Winner: Takumi

As the monsters faded and Takumi rushed to a now unconscious Ryuuji's side, Ki and Ao approached the now normal Aka. Ao then nudged his side. "Wow, I almost forgot what your vocabulary sounded like when you get that way!"

"Hehe. At least I didn't go overboard and destroy a bridge while I was like that."

"Touché."

After Takumi made sure that Ryuuji was okay, he took notice of Ryuuji's Duel Disk. "Hmm. I know I should be catching up to Yuzu, but I do still need to check the new access system." Takumi then pulled a cord from his disk and connected it to Ryuuji's. The moment they were connected, numbers and programs started racing across both screens before a [CONNECTION SUCCESSFUL] window appeared on them. "Nice. Alright, quick check to see if there is anything that could-"

" **Return protocol activated**."

"Huh?" As Ryuuji's disk started to emit light, he and the trinity all looked on in panic as Takumi's disk started to glow as well. "Oh no… OH GOD N-" Just before he could pull the cord out and interrupt the connection, both he and Ryuuji disappeared in a flash of light!

* * *

"Ugh, that was unpleasant. What happened?" As Takumi realized he was lying on grass, he opened his eyes and looked up to see a night sky framed by structures. "Huh? Where am I?" He then sat up and looked around. He appeared to be in a clearing within a complex of some sort meant for relaxation, if the trees, bushes and benches in the area were any implication. "Uh, okay then. I definitely have no idea where this is."

"We do…." Takumi turned his head and saw the Trinity looking around uneasily. "Of course, if you looked to your side, you'd be able to tell much more easily."

Takumi looked to his left, and was shocked to see Ryuuji there, their disks still connected. "Ryuuji? Wait…" As the pieces connected in his head, his eyes grew wide from shock and fear. "Does this mean… that this is…"

"Unfortunately, yes. We're in the Fusion Dimension. And more specifically, we're inside Academia."

* * *

A/N: Cliffhanger! I typically hate them and love them in other stories, and thought this would be a good time to give it a try myself. How'd I do? Feel free to let me know if you have any ideas/questions for my story, and let me know how I'm doing. Thanks again for reading

…

 **OC Cards**

 **Fusion Fountain:** Spell/continuous

Whenever a Fusion monster is summoned, the controller gains LP equal to 200x their level.

 **Dimensional Echo Fusion** : Spell/normal

You can Fusion summon 1 Fusion monster using monsters from your hand or field as Fusion Materials. Then, you can immediately banish this card to summon any other Fusion monsters from your Extra Deck with different names that can use those same material monsters in the graveyard. For every additional monster summoned, you must pay life points equal to their level x200, then banish those material monsters. (These are treated as Fusion Summons with those monsters as materials.)

 **Fusion Gift** : Spell/normal

Draw 1 card for every Fusion monster on the field.

 **Storm-Dancer of the Trinity** : Winged Beast-Type/Water/lvl4/Sc7

ATK:1600 DEF:1200

Negate the effects of your opponent's Field spells. While this card is on the field, you can switch a Winged Beast-type monster you control to Defense position to negate an effect that would destroy card on the field and destroy it. You may only do this once per turn, during either player's turn.

P.E.- This card is unaffected by monster effects. You can only Pendulum Summon Winged Beast-type monsters, and this effect cannot be negated. Negate the effects of your opponent's Field spells. Once per turn, if you have another "Trinity" card in your other Pendulum zone, you can discard a card from your hand to destroy a number of cards on the field up to the number of Winged-Beast-type cards you control. Monsters you control cannot attack the turn you use this effect.

 **Rescue Wing:** Spell/quick-play

When a Winged Beast-type monster(s) you control are destroyed, you can select 1 Winged Beast-type monster in your graveyard; return it to your deck, then you can special summon a Winged Beast-type monster in your deck with a level less than that of the card returned to the deck.

 **Radiant Heart of the Trinity, Neo-Aka-Ho** : Fusion/Winged Beast/Fire/lvl10

ATK: 3200 DEF:3200

"Heart of the Trinity, Aka-Ho" + 1 or more Winged Beast-Type AND/OR Fusion monsters

Must first be Fusion summoned from the Extra Deck by banishing the above cards on the field (Including at least 1 "Heart of the Trinity, Aka-Ho" and 1 Fusion monster) and cannot be summoned by another card's effect. This card cannot attack on the turn it is Summoned. During your Main Phase, you can target one of this card's banished Fusion Materials; Special Summon one "Radiant Heart Token" whose name, ATK, DEF, Level, type, and attribute become the same as that material monster and that token gains all the effects of the target card. For each Token summoned, you must pay life points equal to the new level/rank of the Token x100. You may not control Tokens with the same name with this effect. All tokens summoned this way may also be treated as Winged Beast-type monsters. While you control at least one token summoned this way, this card is unaffected by your opponent's card effects and cannot be destroyed in battle. Once per turn, except the turn this card is Fusion Summoned, you place 1 card in your hand on the bottom of your deck to Special Summon 1 monster that is banished or in the graveyard. During the Standby Phase, if you paid life points on the previous turn, increase your life points by half of what you paid. During the Standby Phase, if this card is banished or in the graveyard, Special Summon it.


	13. Escape

Quick thank you to everyone who has Favorited and followed this story. You guys are part of the reason I'm able to keep up my motivation to get this story updated as soon as I can. Now then, Review responses!

FantasyMan92: I've considered it, though I might just make it similar to Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon and just require a normal tuner instead. I plan on waiting a while to reveal Ki's new form so I can work out the details of which it will be. Other than that thanks for the feedback!

RoyalTwinFangs: Thanks for the consistent reviews. Means a lot to me.

HunterHQ: Thanks for the feedback! Took me a while to sort out how the duel would go, as well as how to decide the mechanics of the Fusion cards would work out. As for Takumi's adventure in Fusion, I had an interesting idea for it that I haven't seen elsewhere. Hope you like it when I get to it.

Now that recent Reviews have been answered, on with the story!

* * *

[LDS Control Room]

"Sir! We've lost the signal coming from Takumi Shou's Duel Disk!"

"What?" Reiji and Nakajima turned their attention to the operator that was monitoring the conditions of all Standard duelists out in the field. "Bring up the most recent image of him."

"Yes sir. He was last recorded in the glacial section." An image of Takumi's duel with Reiji then took up the main screen. Reiji watched in anticipation as he witnessed the end of the duel and how Takumi then went up to check on Ryuuji.

'Hmm. So he attempted to access an Academia disk.' He then noticed a moment of panic on Takumi's face just before he and Ryuuji were enveloped by a bright light. As it faded, Reiji was shocked to see that neither individual was there anymore.

"So… at the very least he wasn't carded already. The other Lancers will not likely take this well… Nakajima."

"Sir."

"Speak with the engineers. Have them analyze the most recent specs of Takumi's disk and determine if it is possible to contact it across the dimensional barriers."

* * *

[Academia, about the same time]

After a brief few minutes of Takumi quietly freaking out over being sent to another dimension on accident, he managed to calm himself enough to notice that while he might have been in the belly of the beast, the fact that it was dark out gave him some hope that he might be able to get out of here quietly without alerting security.

So after he finished shifting through whatever data was on Ryuuji's disk, he snuck off to look through the halls, with the Trinity looking out for security systems and poking their heads into rooms that were closed to see what was in there. After a while…

"Oi, Takumi, this looks like a storage room." Takumi took a closer look at the door Ki was poking through and read the sign out front, saying that the room was freely accessible to individuals who need new uniforms or equipment.

Smirking, Takumi opened the door and slipped inside before turning on the light. His eyes widened at the sheer size of the room, holding things from uniforms, to duel disks, to normal school supplies. "Wow. Alright then, let's see what's in my size."

With the Trinity keeping watch outside, Takumi found a uniform that fit him and slipped it on, thinking that if anyone saw him that they would think him a new student at the least and that he could bluff his way out from there. In fact, the people here were kind enough to leave a chart about what each year would require, so Takumi was able to pick out the red uniform for new students and a disk that he could hold on to complete the ensemble.

Takumi then slipped everything else he thought he cloud use into his backpack. "Man, I'm glad I thought of using this during the Royale, or I'd be in trouble here. Now then, where can I find a server room?" Just as he slung the bag over his back, he noticed a pile of books and walked over to them. Picking one up, he read the title and flipped through it. "Guide book for new students eh? …! You gotta be kidding… This thing has a map of the campus!" Looking through the map and comparing where he's been to what's shown on the map, Takumi was able to piece together where he was in Academia and spent another minute looking for anything of import and how to get there. He then turned off the lights and waited for the all clear from the others, then slipped out the room and begun to wander again.

After a few more minutes, he found himself outside a server room and saw that it required student identification in order to open the door. Flipping through the book he took from the room, Takumi read that the disks themselves could act as ID so long as your profile was in the system. Thinking back, Takumi remembered copying a number of files, so he hooked up the stolen disk with his own and found what looked to be Ryuuji's student profile. After making what he thought was the proper adjustments to the stolen disk, he held it up to the scanner. After a few agonizing seconds, the door opened and Takumi let out a sigh of relief.

After closing the door, Takumi walked through the large number of computers and picked one that was out of sight from the door before starting it up and connecting his own disk to it, the access systems breaching every firewall and shutting down every alarm, giving Takumi full access to the information on the system.

"Hmm. Maybe I should start with Leo's plans." He then went through the files and found some data for something called 'Project Arc-V' as well as profiles for 2 duelists in the files. Takumi was shocked to see a pair of duelists that looked so familiar to him, one looking to be the Serena girl that Reiji showed him from the security feeds, and the other being a purple haired Yuya! "Seriously? Leo is involving the counterparts of Yuya and Yuzu here?! Alright then…" Takumi transferred the data to his disk and looked for more.

"Okay, maybe proof of what Academia has been doing to the other dimensions would help convince the ignorant?" Finding the reports of what happened in the Xyz dimension wasn't hard, but Takumi wasn't prepared for exactly how NUMEROUS the reports were. They ranged from basic reports to detailed attacks and even video footage! Takumi even checked one of the first videos to be uploaded in order to confirm that this was something he could use, and saw exactly what happened in the first few moments of the attack. It was atrocious…

Holding in his anger, Takumi copied and saved the files he felt were the most damning onto his disk, then thought about what other things might be helpful. "…! Say, what about…" Takumi then shifted through the data, remembering a promise he made and intended to keep and found exactly what he was looking for. "There! Let's see..." After figuring out how to get where he wanted to go, Takumi checked any means of getting out from Academia (feeling irked that they were on an island) and feeling confident that he had an escape plan, he disconnected from and shut down the computer, stowing his disk away in his backpack and started heading to another part of Academia.

* * *

After some time and some help from the Trinity, Takumi was able to avoid any security cameras or systems that would have otherwise ratted him out, and found himself at the base of Academia's East Tower, where the files said they were keeping Shun's sister, Ruri.

He then pulled out the scarf he got from shun and a hat he swiped from the supply room as an afterthought and put them on, the hat hiding his hair and the scarf hiding his lower face. Once they were secure, Takumi began his ascent of the tower and its countless stairs. 'Don't worry Shun. I told you I'd do everything I can to help you get your sister back, and I intend to keep that promise.'

After what Takumi estimated was about 5-10 minutes of running up the very tall flight of stairs, Takumi saw what looked to be the top and slowed himself enough to be able to peek above without being noticed immediately.

And immediately questioned the judgement of Academia, seeing how there was a lady dressed like she was some sort of Greek Goddess. She even had a staff! He knew that Academia wasn't entirely sane, but this just took things to the next level of crazy.

Taking a deep (but quiet) sigh, Takumi looked past the cosplayer and saw a wooden door just behind her. 'Guess that's where they're keeping her. Well, gonna have to work fast. Once I get in there, this place will know I'm here.' He then checked the stolen disk one more time to make sure any tracking or surveillance systems were non-functional, then loaded his deck and revealed himself.

The cosplayer noticed him and looked curiously at him. "Hm? Excuse me, but this area is off-limits to students, not to mention that it is past curfew."

Takumi smirked beneath the scarf. "Really? Forgive me. I'm new to the school and I guess I haven't learned all the rules yet. In fact, when I saw the size of this tower, I couldn't help but be curious. Who are you by the way?"

While the headdress seemed to place a shadow over her eyes, Takumi guessed that she was looking at him weirdly. "I am Diana, Guardian of the East Tower. Now you should really be going back to your room."

Takumi then turned his attention to the horizon, taking a brief moment to enjoy the night sky. "Really? Now I would do that, but I was in the middle of helping a friend find something. I thought that this tower might be a good place to help me find it. It does have a great view of the area after all."

Diana seemed to purse her lips thoughtfully. "Indeed. But like I said, you shouldn't be here, no matter what your friend lost."

Takumi rubbed his hand against the back of his head. "Yeah, I get that, but he is really desperate to find what he lost. It's probably one of the most important things in the world to him. After all…" He then dropped his hand and turned back towards Diana, causing her to flinch from the fierce look in his eyes. "He really misses his sister." He then activated the stolen disk and entered a battle stance.

Realizing what he was doing here, Diana quickly took a battle stance and prepared her own disk. "An intruder?! Here?! You will regret coming here!"

"Debatable. Now then, I'll give you one chance to step aside and let her go."

"Hah! As if you have the power to beat me!"

Takumi once again smirked through the scarf. "Well, I did manage to infiltrate Academia." 'Even if it was an accident, but she doesn't need to know that.'

Diana grit her teeth at that, unable to argue. She then looked at him condescendingly. "No matter. The Professor will deal with you once I win."

"You mean IF you win. Too bad I'm stubborn. Now let's do this!"

DUEL!

Diana: 4000

Takumi: 4000

"I'll go first. From my hand, I activate the spell card Polymerization! From my hand I fuse together Guardian Baou with Prenumbral Soldier Lady!

 _When the shining light hits the Flamberge, two warriors become one! Fusion Summon! Descend, Moon Protector!"_

Appearing was a monster that looked like a mix between priestess and warrior, with a large shield bearing crescent moons in the middle and a staff with a moon-shaped tip.

"I activate Moon Protector's effect! I summon one Protector's Shield Token in Defense mode!" Moon Protector then raised her staff as it glowed, and a pillar of light created what looked like a stone tablet. "As long as I control a Shield Token, your monsters cannot attack Moon Protector. I set one card and end my turn."

"I draw! I activate Graceful Charity, to draw 3 cards, then discard 2. Next, I summon Blizzard Thunderbird!" A blue crystalline figure with bright yellow wings and a silver staff appeared on the field. "I now activate her effect and discard 1 card. Now, I can summon 2 Winged Beast-type WATER monsters, 1 from my hand, and the other from the grave. Fortunately, I discarded exactly the card I would need earlier. Revive from my graveyard, Aurora Wing! And from my hand, Storm-dancer of the Trinity!"

As the 2 monsters made their appearance, Thunderbird then became blue energy and shot itself back into Takumi's hand. "The only downside is that I need to return Thunderbird to my hand afterwards, but that is hardly an issue now that I have these two on the field. I now use my level 4 Aurora Wing and Storm-dancer to build the overlay network!

 _Majestic avian with the beauty of falling snow. Dance with your kin, and release the arctic winds that bring all to their knees before you! Xyz Summon! Soar through the skies, as the symbol of my will! Rank 4! Soul of the Trinity, Ao-Yuki!"_

As Ao appeared with a shriek, Diana then let out a smirk. "So you're an Xyz user. Too bad for you. I activate my trap, Protector's Adoration! It negates Ao-Yuki's effects and summons 2 Protector's Shield Tokens to my field."

As 2 more tokens appeared on her field, Ao-Yuki was bathed in red light, sealing her powers. "Urgh!"

Takumi looked to her in worry. "Ao!" She looked back at him. "Do not worry, I'll be fine. Rather, you should keep your attention on her." He nodded after a moment and looked back at Diana.

"With the effect of Protector's adoration, you may attack all Protector's Shield Tokens this turn. But if you don't your monster will be destroyed at the end of the Battle Phase. So what will you do? Are you going to attack my Protector's Shield Tokens, or will you not attack and lose your monster?"

Takumi looked at her in thought. 'She wants me to attack her tokens, which means she's no doubt up to something.' He then put on a smirk. "Well, only one way to find out what it is. You trust me Ao?"

Ao then smirked at her friend. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be here now."

"Alright then. Ao-Yuki! Attack the first Token! Arctic Gale!" The Icebird then gathered snow-filled wind, and sent it straight at one of the tokens, causing it to freeze and shatter.

Diana grinned. "Moon Protector's effect activates! When one of my Tokens are destroyed in battle, the opposing monster loses 800 ATK points, and my life points increase by 800!" Moon protector then raised her staff, causing it to glow, as 2 beams of light shined down on Diana and Ao, increasing her life points and weakening the Icebird. "Argh!"

Diana: 4000 – 4800

2000 – 1200

"AO!"

"WHAT DID I SAY!" Takumi flinched at her tone. She then gave him a look of determination. "It matters not what happens to me. I trust you to be able to overcome this obstacle. And I promise you that I will not fall to something like this!"

Takumi looked at her for a few moments, before a determined look appeared on his face. "Alright then!" He then looked through his hand, a plan coming to mind.

He then looked back at Diana, who was giving him a smug look. "Are you finished with your nonsense yet?" He clenched his fists, as she continued. "No matter. Your situation is hopeless. As you destroy my tokens, your monster's ATK is lowered further, and my life points increase higher. But if you don't, you'll lose your bird completely."

Takumi had had it with her attitude. "Alright Ao! Attack the second token!" As Ao-Yuki shattered the second token, Moon Protector used her powers once again.

Diana: 4800 – 5600

1200 – 400

Ao-Yuki began to feel tired. "Urgh… I can still fight!"

"Then fight we shall. Destroy the third token!" The third token shattered, and Moon Protector used her powers once more.

Diana: 5600 – 6400

400 – 0

"URGH!" Ao-Yuki landed, exhausted, wings laying against the ground.

"Hahaha! Good job! You managed to keep your monster safe! However… It doesn't even have a single ATK point! What even was the purpose of keeping it?"

"Of course was a reason." At the confusion from Diana, Takumi spelled it out for her. "First of all, because SHE is my friend. Second, your protector is now all out of shields. And third, for a card like this! I activate the quick-play spell, **Cast-off Xyz**! If I control an Xyz monster with overlay units, I can pay half my life points!"

Takumi: 4000 – 2000

"I then banish 1 monster in my graveyard whose type matches Ao's. Help us out Aurora Wing!" The spirit of the light blue monster appeared and transformed itself into an Xyz portal! "Now, I can take any number of Ao-Yuki's overlay units and use them with this spell to Xyz Summon a monster of the same Rank and less original ATK! I'll take one overlay unit!" The spell then took an overlay unit as both shot into the vortex.

" _Blaze with crimson light! Set aflame your thirsting wings, and light my very soul! Xyz Summon! Descend, Rank 4! Raidraptor – Blade Burner Falcon!"_

Appearing with a shriek was the monster that symbolized Takumi's connection and promise with Shun, surprising Diana with its appearance. "Hoh? That certainly looks like an impressive monster. So what? That monster's measly 1000 ATK can't even touch my Protector."

Takumi then grinned at her. "Good thing you dug your own grave with that one then!" At her worried looked, an orange aura surrounded the Raidraptor. "If Blade Burner is Xyz Summoned while my opponent has at least 3000 more life points than me, I can increase his ATK by 3000!" Blade Burner then let loose a shriek as its blades become enveloped in flames.

1000 – 4000

"4000 ATK POINTS!?"

"And I'm not done yet! I also activate the quick-play spell Rank-Up-Magic Will of the Trinity, and Rank Up Ao-Yuki!" Ao-Yuki then flew into a vortex, taking her last overlay unit with her.

" _Hear the tortured cries of the innocent, and sharpen your resolve! Let their pain become the wind beneath your wings, and show them a world without oppression! Rank Up! Xyz Change! Soar throughout the heavens, as the embodiment of my unyielding will! Rank 5! Unwavering Soul of the Trinity, Neo-Ao-Yuki!"_

As the Icebird arrived in her empowered form, Takumi was slightly taken aback at the lack of helm, revealing long blue hair that glittered like snow in the moonlight. She then released a high-pitched cry, causing Diana and her monster to cover their ears in surprise. "THIS IS MORE LIKE IT! I KNEW YOU'D FIND A WAY TO SUCCEED!"

Diana looked at the 2 monsters in shock, not expecting anything of this sort. She held on to the hope that he couldn't finish her with the ATK points currently on the field. "When the targeted monster leaves the field, Protector Adoration is destroyed." The trap then destroyed itself, as Diana prepared a strategy for the next turn. She then heard the words that sealed her defeat.

"Neo-Ao-Yuki's effect! Every monster controlled by my opponent loses 100 ATK and DEF times their level for EACH of her overlay units! And my Winged Beasts gain ATK equal to 100x their Ranks for each overlay unit as well! My Rank 4 Blade Burner gains 800, my Rank 5 Neo-Ao gains 1000, and your level 7 Protector loses 1400!" Ao then sang a beautiful song, as powerful freezing winds then blew across the platform, causing the Xyz monsters to rise higher in the air and Moon Protector to curl in on herself to try and stay warm as she was slowly trapped in ice.

4000 – 4800

2800 – 3800

2100 – 700

"WHA-…" Diana was speechless, terrified at the position she found herself in.

"You know what's next I believe. Neo-Ao-Yuki! Take your revenge with Arctic Doom!"

"WITH PLEASURE!" She then intensified the winds, causing ice to form more rapidly over Protector, trapping her in a large chunk of ice with only the head remaining. As Protector looked up in fear, the Icebird then created a dozen large spears of ice, and sent them at the trapped Fusion monster, shattering it and knocking Diana back a bit. "Gaarrgh!"

6400 – 3300

"I'm not done yet!" Diana looked up in fear, as Blade Burner started charging up a large sphere of fire. "Blade Burner Falcon! Attack her directly! FIRE BOMB!" As the sphere became bigger than itself, it launched the attack straight at Diana, knocking her past the door and halfway to the edge. "AAAAARRRRRRGH!"

3300 – 0

Winner: Takumi

As the monsters faded, Takumi let out a sigh in relief. "Phew… At least you didn't break anything this time Ao."

The Trinity then took form with Ao looking slightly embarrassed. "Are ANY of you going to EVER let that go?"

The reply came simultaneously from Takumi, Ki, and even Aka as they smirked. "Not anytime soon."

Ao let out a sigh in defeat as Takumi got a closer look at the door to try to open it. "… Locked. Let's see if that cosplayer has a key…"

* * *

Ruri was worried.

She had been in the middle of a (fairly restless) sleep, when the sounds of commotion echoed from outside the room she was trapped in. And since no one here ever told her anything other than that the Professor wanted her unharmed and that she would be unable to leave EVER, she became worried about the sounds that had come from right outside her room. So, she had moved to the far side of the bed from the door in worry about what was going to happen next.

As she heard the sound of the door unlocking, she backed up slightly more, and saw what looked to be a boy about her age, wearing a red Academia uniform, a dark blue hat that covered their hair, a red cloth that covered the lower half of his face, a dark blue backpack, and an academia Duel disk on his arm.

"Whoa. Dark in here." The unknown duelist then reached around for a light switch and turned it on, revealing the layout of the room. As their eyes adjusted to the light, the duelist then looked around the room in what appeared to be surprise. "Wha-?! This is a prison? What the hell? Was the designer a fan of fairy tales or something, because this looks like the kind of place one might rescue a prin-" Their words cut off as they noticed Ruri on the other side of the bed, looking at him fearfully. "…cess. Wow. It's as if they WANTED something like this to happen. I once again question the logic of these people."

Ruri swallowed nervously. "Wh-who are you? Why are you here?"

The boy then blinked, then seemed to look over himself. Eyes widening in realization, he raised his arms above his head as if he were surrendering. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. It's okay, I'm not with these people. You're Ruri, right? My name is Takumi, and I'm here to help, I swear!"

Ruri narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Why should I believe any of that?"

Takumi then turned to look out the door, then back at her. "Well for one, your guard lady is out of commission for a little while. And two, I know your brother Shun." When her eyes widened at Shun's name, Takumi then pulled a card out from his deck and held it out to her. "Here's proof. He gave me this after I earned his trust."

Curious, Ruri slowly walked around the bed and took the card and widened her eyes at what it was. "Blade Burner Falcon! Shun is supposed to be the only person with this card!"

"Guess that makes me the only one to have it now." Ruri then turned her eyes back to Takumi, who had lowered the cloth around his face to reveal a large smile. "He even gave me this cloth just before the last time I saw him. Now, I would love to sit here and answer your questions, but I don't know how long until people notice that the cosplayer guarding your…" He then blinked and looked around the room in thought. "Actually, can you even call this place a cell? It has more stuff in it than the room I grew up in back home!" He then shook his head and turned his attention back to Ruri. "Anyway, doesn't matter right now. My point is, we need to go. The alarms are likely to go off any-"

"WARNING! INTRUDER ALERT! WARNING! INTRUDER ALERT!"

As the VERY loud alarms began to blare, Takumi had frozen in his speech as he realized they had less time than he thought. "… minute. Okay, now we really need to go. You coming?" He then set down his bag and pulled his personal Duel disk out and placing his deck in it.

Ruri thought over her options for a moment. 'Well, I guess he has no reason to lie. And if this is the truth, he may be able to get me back to Shun.' She then took a deep breath and looked Takumi in the eyes as he stood back up, holding out Blade Burner to him. "Alright then. You do have an escape plan, right?"

Takumi gave her a smirk and traded her the stolen disk. "Sure do. You got a deck?"

Ruri nodded and went to where she had stashed her deck. The people of Academia wouldn't allow her to have her disk, but for some reason they left her her cards. Looking at the enemy disk apprehensively (and noting that it seemed to be of a similar shade of purple to her hair), she then placed the disk on her arm and loaded her deck.

"Don't worry." Ruri turned back to a confident looking Takumi. "I've already gotten it cleared of anything that could be used against us. It's just a normal disk now. Now we just gotta get out of here." Ruri nodded as she followed Takumi to the stairs.

However, they hadn't gotten far when Takumi heard footsteps rapidly coming up the steps before them. Stopping, he turned around and ushered Ruri back up. "Ah crud, how'd they get here so fast!?" As they reached the top, Takumi turned around and activated his duel disk and pulling out a card. "Protector of the Trinity! Buy us some time!" The shield bearer appeared and took position slightly below the top of the stairs, ready to hold back the oncoming enemy.

Ruri then turned to him in worry. "Now what?! Did you have a plan for this?!"

Takumi looked over the horizon and let a small smirk cross his face. "Well, yes. But I can't guarantee that you'll like it." Takumi then picked out another card. "Remember though, you asked."

"Eh?" As Ruri looked at him in worry, Takumi ran to the opposite edge of the platform from the stairs and played another card. "Let's go, Mist Condor!" Appearing was a large regal looking blue condor that appeared large enough to ride on. As condor lowered himself enough to let him climb on, Takumi then held out a hand to Ruri. "So, ready to fly out of here?"

Taking a look back to see Protector starting to have trouble holding the enemy back, she took a deep breath and let Takumi pull her up behind him. "Alright! Condor! Let's fly!"

As they took off, Ruri's hold on Takumi tightened out of reflex as she shut her eyes from the heights they were now at while Takumi looked back to see how things were going on the stairs. 'Seems they haven't noticed us yet. Good thing it's still dark out.' Takumi then turned to where he could see the first light of the rising sun. 'But not for much longer, and I have no idea how long Condor will last. Guess we'll just have to hitch a ride after all.'

He then guided Condor down to where the docks were and spotted a speedboat that they could make use of. Landing right next to it, Takumi took notice of the tight hold Ruri had on him and turned to her. "Hey, we're on the ground now. You can let go if you want."

"Eh?" Ruri then opened her eyes and noticed what she was doing. With a small blush on her face, she let go and they hopped off of Condor, letting the bird dissipate.

"Alright, untie the line while I look for a way to start this thing." Takumi then hopped onto the speedboat he found and looked around for a way to start it up. Spotting an Academia computer system, he smirked and plugged his disk into it and watched as the access system once again granted him access. "Okay, this is way too easy… And now that I've said that it's going to suck in a moment isn't it?"

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Turning around, Takumi noticed a rather large number of Obelisk Force members with disks ready running their way, followed by Ancient Gear Hunting Hounds and Soldiers.

"Yup, there it is. I accept full blame on that one." Once he made sure Ruri was on the boat and the line was off, he started up the engine and sped out of there, just seconds before the soldiers could catch up to them.

Ruri yelled to him over the wind and engine. "You know how to drive this thing, right?!"

"One of my duel teachers had a speedboat, and whenever I beat him he would arrange a time for us to take it to a nearby lake and speed around! He even showed me how to drive it! Though I will admit, I've never steered a boat over the open ocean!"

Ruri widened her eyes in worry as she held on tight to the seat she had claimed.

After a few moments, Takumi chanced a look behind him as he saw not only other speedboats in the distance but some helicopters as well. "Wow. These guys REALLY don't want to lose track of you. Think you can keep the boat straight?"

"EEEH?!"

"Relax. All you have to do is sit in the seat and keep her steady. It's easy." He then carefully got out of the seat and slowed the boat slightly so Ruri could more easily maintain control, and moved to the back of the boat while pulling some cards from his deck.

"I summon Hatchling of the Trinity!" The small brown bird then appeared next to him, feet latched to the railing of the boat. "If I control a Winged Beast-type monster, I can summon Blade Wing!" The red avian appeared above the boat and kept the same speed as them. "I activate Hatchling's effect and make both him and Blade Wing level 4 and then Xyz Summon!" Blue energy shined out from Hatchling's crystal and enveloped itself and Blade Wing, before both shot into an Xyz portal.

" _Beautiful avian with veins of ice! Descend upon this field, and put all beneath you in their place! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 4! Ice Beast Zerofyne!"_

Out came a beautiful crystalline figure of various shades of blue, bearing deep blue eyes and wings and 2 blue overlay units. "Zerofyne's effect! I use an overlay unit to shroud my opponents in ice!" Zerofyne then grabbed one of her overlay units and held it out, causing a freezing wind to blow out from it and over all the Academia vehicles, shutting down the engines of the boats and icing over the windshields of the helicopters. Takumi watched in satisfaction as their pursuers slowed to a stall and they sped away from them.

* * *

[About an hour later]

Feeling somewhat calmer about steering after Takumi showed her what controlled what, Ruri had now been steering the boat since their escape from Academia while Takumi had made sure that there was nothing on the boat that could give away their position such as a tracer. (The Trinity were a big help with that.) A little while later, they came within sight of land, and after getting close enough to see the shoreline, Ruri slowed down slightly as Takumi looked for a safe area for them to dock.

"Over there! That cave looks like a good spot for us to hide the boat until we get a good idea of where we are." Nodding, Ruri followed his instructions on how to get the boat there. After arriving in the cave and making sure that the boat wasn't easily noticed from the outside, Takumi shut the boat down and released the anchor.

He then took off the Red uniform jacket and gathered his things together before making sure that the water was shallow enough to wade in with one of the emergency paddles. "Alright. We can walk out of here and look around by foot. You okay with a little water?"

"I think so. But I still have some questions."

Takumi stopped all motion as he remembered that he still hadn't told her very much yet. "… Oh yeah. I guess I still owe you some answers." Takumi then put the paddle back and took a seat in the boat. "Alright then, we may as well get the questions out of the way now. What do you want to know?"

Ruri looked at him curiously, then took a seat across from him. "Well, who exactly are you? And how do you know my brother?"

Takumi smiled at her. "My name is Takumi Shou. I'm a new friend of Shun's. Haha, though I did have to work for the privilege of having his trust. I met him in what you'd call the Standard dimension."

"Standard?"

"Yeah. Shun wound up there with a friend of his looking for a way to get you back. One thing led to another, and next thing either of us knew, I was promising my help in the fight against Academia."

"I see. How did you manage to infiltrate Academia?"

Takumi's eyes widened slightly at the question as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Yeah… I may have… hitched a ride without meaning to."

"… Eh?"

"Haaah. Okay, so I had just taken down an Academia duelist and was attempting to access the systems in their Duel Disk to see what I could grab. Then the return protocol activated… with my disk still attached to his. Next thing I know I'm sitting in an Academia courtyard. I'm just glad it was night out and not bustling in activity, or I might not have been able to get to you and then get us both out."

Ruri took a few moments to process what he just said. 'An accident…. He wound up here on accident, then completely improvised the rescue and escape. I don't know if I should consider him lucky, foolish, or both.' Ruri let out sigh as she gave up thinking about it for now, and continued to ask questions about Takumi.

* * *

[Meanwhile, in the Spirit World]

The Lyrical Luscinia monsters looked around the area in awe. As Takumi had led Ruri out of the East Tower, the Trinity were able to extend their influence into the Fusion Dimension's part of the Spirit World enough to get Blade Burner and Ao to lead a raid and go to the location of Ruri's Duel Spirits in the spirit world and led them to the domain of the Trinity, fighting off numerous Fusion and Ancient Gear monsters on their way.

They had now returned to their foothold in the Spirit world and the newcomers were in awe of the three mountains, the forest between them, and the numerous monsters that had gathered here. Not only had more Winged Beasts arrived since they began to prepare, but even Duel Spirits from some of Takumi's friends could be seen here.

In one area, some Performapals were putting on a show for some of the younger spirits. In another area, X-Sabers, Constellars, and Gem-Knights were sparring in a wide area with other spirits. Moving between the mountains, different Arcana Force monsters could be seen, surveying the area, watching the skies and occasionally meditating, allowing them to get a brief glimpse of the near future. And Raidraptors of all kinds could be seen moving in patrols around the outskirts of the forest.

As the Rescue party moved closer to the Domain, they were greeted by an approaching Aka and Ki. "Excellent work everyone. Go and get some rest." With that, everyone but the Trinity, Blade Burner, and the Luscinias headed down into the main forest area. "Greetings Lyrical Luscinias. I am Aka-Ho. This is my brother, Ki-Rai. And I believe you have already met our sister, Ao-Yuki."

One of the Luscinias moved in front of the rest and bowed to the Trinity, the rest following suit. "Indeed. I am known as Assembly Nightingale, and we thank you for helping us escape our captors."

"Please, raise your heads. We only seek to help those who need it. Now then, Blade Burner. Please help them find a place to rest."

"Of course sir. Come sisters." With that, Blade Burner led the Luscinias down to the forest as the Trinity observed.

Ao then smirked at her siblings. "It seems that even the spirits share a strong familial bond like their current masters, don't they?"

"Indeed. It seems that earning the trust of Shun has done more than Takumi had realized." Aka then turned to Ki. "Say brother, you are being unusually quiet. Normally you are extremely exuberant about any new arrivals."

Ki said nothing, simply looking in the direction that the Luscinias had gone. Aka and Ao then shared a look, before Ao went over and gave Ki a nudge, shocking him back into awareness. "Huh? What?"

Ao looked at him questioningly. "Are you alright brother? You have looked out of it ever since the Luscinias arrived."

Ki's eyes widened slightly, before Ki cleared his throat. "O-of course I'm fine. Really, n-nothing wrong here."

Ao and Aka looked at Ki in shock, both thinking the exact same thing. 'Did Ki just… STUTTER!?'

Ao then realized something and decided to test her theory. She then pretended to notice something behind him. "Oh? Did you need something Nightingale?"

Ki briefly froze, then quickly turned in the direction that Ao was looking. Ki was confused as he saw nothing, then felt a small sense of dread. He slowly turned his head back to his siblings to see Ao with a wing over her beak, and both of them with VERY wide eyes. "…Uh, I should get back to, uh, sparring with the newbies." He then bolted as fast as he could to get away from his siblings before anything else could be said.

The 2 of them just floated there, shocked at what they had just discovered, before Aka broke the silence. "… You noticed that he never once took his eyes off of her, didn't you?"

Ao then nodded and asked in a quiet voice. "You know what this means don't you?"

Aka then let a smirk cross his face. "Indeed. The one thing that can make Ki nervous, is not a powerful foe, or an unstoppable army. No. It is a pretty spirit." Mere seconds after Aka finished his sentence, the two of them burst out laughing, surprised yet unsurprised at the revelation, and wondering how things would progress from here.

* * *

A/N: The one thing that can hamper the courage of even the bravest of souls… A crush. Haha. I originally wasn't going to do spirit love, but due to seeing it in other stories as well as encouragement from a friend, I figured I'd try it out. Thoughts?

Anyway, I'm getting close to finishing Takumi's new outfit, so almost out of time to make suggestions for it. I am still willing to hear ideas for new OC cards as well as OC characters you think might be interesting. Also willing to listen to ideas for what I can do with the story. Feel free to speak up if you got something you think might be fun, as well as any questions you have for the story, whether it's as a review or a PM. Other than that, thanks again for the feedback and see you guys next update.

OC cards

 **Cast-off Xyz:** Spell/quick-play

Target 1 Xyz monster with Xyz material you control and pay half your life points: Banish 1 monster in your graveyard with the same type as the target monster, then Special Summon 1 Xyz monster from your Extra Deck with the same Rank and less original ATK than the target monster, then attach this card and at least one of the target monster's Xyz material to the Summoned monster as Xyz Material. (This summon is treated as an Xyz Summon.)


	14. Sanctuary

Wow. Most reviews for a chapter so far. So responses first.

 **Shiun'in Ventus** ; Glad you think so. And I did consider that, but decided to do something a little different. You'll see in a moment.

 **HunterHQ** ; No parasite. It is currently a few days before the parasites are finished in this story. As for Rin, it would be too difficult for him to save both of them on his own, especially once he's lost the element of surprise. As for Leo, you'll see in a little bit.

 **ColorlessScythe** ; Glad you like my OC! You'll know everyone's reactions soon enough. And I will update as often as I can, but life will get in the way occasionally. Still, thanks for the support!

 **RoyalTwinFangs** ; Thanks. Let me know if you have any ideas I may not have thought of yet.

 **Guest (Martyn)** ; There will be more mentions of Takumi's past, and I may attempt a Flashback scene at some point in the future.

 **Guest** ; Leo's reaction incoming.

 **FantasyMan92** ; Haha, thanks. I always enjoy it when other authors end with a similar cliffhanger, and wanted to give it a shot. Glad to see it worked out well!

Alright then. Finally got this chapter done. Took me longer than previously because A) I wasn't sure how I wanted to do it, and B) This chapter wound up MUCH longer than I expected it to turn out, seeing as it is now my longest update yet. Still, I like the way it went. Let me know how it goes!

* * *

"You okay there?" As he trudged through the trees, Takumi made sure to check back on Ruri every once in a while.

Said girl looked a little bit tired as she responded. "I'm good. I just couldn't really get out much. My stamina might be a little off."

"Alright. Let me know if you need a break at any time."

After Takumi had spent about half an hour answering each other's questions and getting to know each other, Ruri felt a little more at ease with Takumi. Before they left the cave to explore, Takumi gave Ruri the hat he swiped so she could hide her hair while they looked around, in case anyone recognized her. They were now looking around the area they found themselves in to see if they could find some supplies for the day at least, while making sure to mark the way back to the boat.

"So, that teacher of yours. The one that taught you to steer a boat. Did they also take you hiking?"

"Haha. No, I just enjoyed playing in the forest near town."

"How often was that?"

"Quite often. Sometimes alone, sometimes with others. Whenever us kids played hide and seek in there, I always wound up climbing the trees. After a while people started figuring out that I always did that, but that didn't automatically mean they were able to find me easily."

Ruri gave a small smile at that. "You were a pretty active child then, weren't you?"

He turned his head back to her with a smile of his own. "You say that like I'm any different now."

"Haha, fair enough. Your parents must have thought you were a handful."

Takumi slowed briefly, not going unnoticed by Ruri. "… Maybe. Then again I wouldn't really know, seeing as though I don't remember them."

That stopped Ruri completely. "Eh?"

Takumi stopped and turned to her completely. "I'm an orphan. Never knew my parents, and no one knows who they are."

Ruri widened her eyes in shock, then looked down guiltily. "I'm sor-"

"Please, it's okay!" She looked up in surprise to see him with a small smile. "It doesn't bother me as much as it used to. I may not have had parents, but I have someone who is practically my mother, and tons of friends where I grew up. My childhood may have been different from most, but I wouldn't change a thing if I could."

Ruri looked at him, contemplating his words. "… You really are quite positive about things, aren't you?"

He shrugged at her. "Would you have preferred that I tell you that I am still desperately doing whatever I can to find out who my parents were and why they gave me up?"

She chuckled at that. "Hehe, I think this is alright."

"Haha, glad you think so." With that, they turned back to the way they were going and continued to talk as they walked.

After about 10 more minutes, they reached what looked like a trail. "Hmm. Guess people come here after all. Well, best figure out where we are exactly. Which way should we go? Uphill, or downhill?"

Ruri looked in each direction nervously. "Umm… How about uphill?"

"Uphill it is."

After about 20 minutes, at the end of the path, they were surprised to find what looked like a monastery. All the structures looked to have been painted a light blue, and at the front entrance to the grounds was a sign that said "Shinobashi Monastery." Walking inside, they could see that the monastery was quite large, with figures dressed as priests and priestesses attending to the grounds or speaking with various individuals dressed normally, some of which were holding Dual Monsters cards.

As they looked around curiously, they didn't notice the approach of an elderly gentleman until he was within speaking distance. "Welcome to the Shinobashi Monastery. Have you come to learn?"

Takumi was the first to respond. "Oh, uh, actually we were a little lost and wound up here. What is this place mister…?"

"Shinobashi. Kusube Shinobashi. One of my ancestors founded this temple, and now I am the Head Priest here, where we teach the fundamentals of the lesser known art of Ritual Summoning."

"You teach Ritual Summoning?!"

"Oh? So you do know of this technique. Are you experienced in using it?"

"Oh, no, not really. But I do know of the method. Though to be honest, I thought everyone focused on Fusion?" 'At least in this dimension…'

"Hahaha. I understand the reasoning, but Ritual is a technique older than Fusion, and typically takes more time to call forth. Many prefer to unite the powers of many into one powerful form, as opposed to biding your time before you can call upon the power of one incredible being. However, if one is patient enough to learn, then they can wield the power of Ritual to bring even the mightiest of foes to their knees with the strength they carry within them."

"I see… Anyway, I don't suppose you can offer us some supplies or something? Though we don't have much to offer…"

Kusube waved it off. "Pay no matter to such things. We are quite well off here, and are even willing to lend the 2 of you a room for the night if necessary."

"Woah, really?! Thanks."

Kusube then gave the 2 of them a personal tour of the area, showing them all the facilities at their disposal. A mess hall, a recreational area, an entire field devoted to dueling practice, they were even told that they were allowed to sit in on any lessons that were going on while they were there.

"This place is incredible!"

"Hahaha. I'm glad you think so. Now I wish to ask something, if you don't mind of course."

Takumi and Ruri looked at him curiously as the three of them continued their walk. "Uh, sure, what is it?"

Kusube turned his head to them. "Are you by any chance avoiding Academia?"

The question got the both of them to freeze up in fear. Ruri was completely speechless and scared, while Takumi worked to compose himself. "W-what makes you think that?"

"Well, anyone of age is automatically called to Academia in order to learn and aid in the creation of Utopia. Not to mention one of you is wearing an Academia styled disk." He then pointed to the stolen disk on Ruri's arm. "Now before you get defensive or try to run, let me tell you something important." The 2 of them looked at the Head Priest in worry, as he had a serious expression.

Which then became a relaxed smile. "I don't care about that."

Their eyes widened in surprise as they both gave the same response. "Eh?"

"Hahaha. Let me show you something."

As they walked through another hall, they came across a wide collection of pictures, some old, some new, each depicting different smiling individuals. "This is where we distinguish some of our best students, those who were able to take to using Ritual at an incredible rate."

Takumi and Ruri looked about the wall in amazement, before one of the images caught his eye. Takumi couldn't believe what he was seeing, because in one of the pictures, he saw the smiling face of a young Ryuuji!

Kusube looked at the image that caught his eye, as well as noted the expression that was on his face, before understanding came over him. "Ah, I see. I take it you've met Ryuuji before?"

Ruri looked at him in question as Takumi sought a way to answer. "Oh, uh, yeah. But I never did see him using Ritual."

"Ah yes. While he is very good at Ritual Summoning, you likely haven't seen it due to his disagreement with another fellow graduate." He then pointed out another image that was next to Takumi's holding a blonde-haired girl of similar age. "Asuka here was a rival of his, as well as a dear friend. They were both recognized as skilled duelists, and were brought to Academia with the promise that they would both help Academia unite the 4 worlds into one. But, at one point Asuka began to question the goals and methods of Academia, and then she simply left."

Takumi and Ruri looked at him in surprise. 'There are people in Fusion, who disapprove of Academia!?'

Kusube chuckled at their faces. "Why do you seem so surprised? After all, you two are on the run from Academia as well, aren't you? No need to worry though. I've heard from Asuka about the methods they've been using and neither me nor my fellow disciples approve. We will not speak about you to anyone not a part of the temple. I give you my word."

Both Takumi and Ruri calmed significantly at that, though Ruri seemed more nervous than Takumi did at the moment. "Thank you very much sir. Now, what about the part about Ryuuji?"

"Ah, yes. After she got away, she sent a message to him telling him to do the same, but apparently he wasn't willing to see the same things that she could, happy that Academia was making him even stronger than he was before. As a result of their argument, he apparently decided that he wouldn't use Ritual until he had gotten her to return to Academia. Last I heard from him, he was selected for a reconnaissance mission in one of the other worlds."

"Yeah…" Takumi wasn't sure what to think, now seeing Ryuuji in a new light. 'Maybe with everything I said before… Maybe now he'll believe what's really been going on?'

"Now if I were to harbor a guess, I'd say you were from one of the other worlds, correct?" Takumi looked at Kusube in shock. "Ryuuji has been on his mission for quite a while now. The only time you would have been able to meet him would have to be in another world. How is my guess?"

Takumi and Kusube looked each other in the eyes as Ruri watched nervously. After a few moments, Takumi smirked. "Standard. That's what everyone's calling the dimension I'm from."

"I see. I don't suppose you'll do me the honor of telling me what sort of world it is?"

"I don't see why not."

* * *

"UNACCEPTABLE!" Leo was absolutely furious at his personnel. Not only had they allowed an intruder to gain access to Academia, but they had then gone on to break in to the location of the Xyz incarnation of the bracelet girls and escape the island! "All of you have failed! Get out of my sight!"

As the guilty individuals left the room, Leo rubbed his temples with his hands, then activated the communications system to speak with the analysts. "Find out where that boat went and where they likely wound up. I want those 2 found YESTERDAY!"

After hearing the frightened confirmation of his orders, he shut down the comms and went back to his thoughts. 'Of course this has to happen when I'm this close. First Serena goes rogue, and now the Xyz girl slips through my fingers. I should get the Doctor to hurry up on his project.' He then stood up from his seat and looked at the Arc V Machine that sat behind his seat. 'Ray… I promise that I will do whatever I must to bring you back.'

* * *

Shun watched Yuya's outburst towards Reiji with a neutral expression, his own thoughts doing loops in his mind.

After the Royale had ended, Shun had wound up gathered with everyone who survived the assault. Then Reiji showed up as he revealed to them all the purpose of the Royale. Then Yuya had noticed the absence of Yuzu and began to blame Reiji for everything.

Especially so when he confirmed that Takumi was no longer in this dimension either.

Everyone who knew the guy was shocked at hearing that. Yuya's fury intensified. Gongenzaka's expression hardened from anger. Sawatari was flabbergasted that such a strong duelist had been eliminated, even if he only dueled him on occasion and saw him around LDS.

Shun however, was reliving some dark thoughts. 'First Ruri… Then Yuto… And now when I've just found someone I felt I could trust, Academia shows up again?!' He then slammed his fist down on the barrier on the side of the road, angry at himself for wanting to separate earlier, and at least taking comfort when Reiji confirmed that he wasn't carded, as well as that the transportation was something that was not intended by Academia.

'At the very least he should have the element of surprise on his side, but still! … I hope he's okay…'

* * *

*snooooore*

Ruri looked at Takumi in only minor surprise at how relaxed Takumi had become in only a few hours. After sharing a few stories with Head-Priest Kusube about the differences between the worlds, Takumi had realized exactly how long it's been since he'd actually slept.

He had apparently gone through the first half of a 24-hour tournament where he had dueled normal duelists as well as half a dozen Obelisk Force members, before getting himself transported to another dimension. He then spent a couple of hours running around Academia to find and get to Ruri. And then they spent the early hours of the morning speed boating across the ocean. Then all that time answering all the questions that Ruri had as well as asking a few of his own. They then spent an hour and a half walking through a forest, and then wound up at the Monastery they now find themselves in.

'Honestly… How much energy did he have if he only noticed a couple of hours ago?'

Takumi was now taking a nap in a room that Kusube had lent him so he could recover his energy. It was a simple room with a futon and the signature sliding paper door. The moment they had showed him the bed, he promptly collapsed and was snoring away.

Kusube had given her the next room over so that they wouldn't be too far apart, but no matter what she tried she didn't feel like resting yet. She'd had so many restless nights at Academia, that she was a little afraid to go to sleep now.

She then shook the thoughts about Academia out of her head. 'Ugh, this isn't helping! I can't keep thinking about that! Haaa…' She then turned her head back to her snoring rescuer. 'I kind of wish I had some of that carefree attitude you were exhibiting earlier.'

She then sat down next to him, feeling more calm than before. 'Strange… I've only just met you, and yet you are already making me feel safe just by being near you…'

*SNOOOOOORE*

Ruri blinked and suppressed a giggle. 'Hehe, even if you are currently dead to the world.' She then felt her eyes begin to grow a little heavy, as she soon found herself lying down on the floor. 'hmmm… Maybe I could stand… a few minutes of sleep…'

* * *

When Takumi opened his eyes, he was slightly surprised to see an unfamiliar ceiling above him, before his mind caught up with him and he realized where he was. He then blinked at the ceiling as he comprehended what he went through in the last 24-hours. "Wow. Did all that really happen?"

Hearing the sound of light breathing to his side, he turned his head to see what it was. He was then much more surprised to see Ruri sleeping next to him.

'Uh… Okay then.' At that moment, he felt a slight tug by his arm and saw that one of Ruri's hands was holding onto his arm. He then blinked as his head went through what this looked like, causing a blush to cross his face once he realized it. He then noticed the small smile on her face as she slept, erasing any inclination for him to wake her up.

Calming his blush and being very careful of his movements, he sat up and noticed something that had him slightly worried. 'Ah maaan… when did my shirt get a hole in it!?' Thinking back, Takumi realized that he had tripped briefly a few times in the forest. 'Guess it had to happen then. Wow, I really must have been tired if I hadn't noticed until now, especially if I wasn't able to keep my balance. Hmmm… Maybe Kusube can help me get it fixed?'

"Excuse me, Takumi? Are you up?" The soft-spoken words grabbed Takumi's attention, and he looked over to see the door open and reveal Kusube.

Takumi quickly held a finger to his lips. "Shhh…" He then pointed down to Ruri, who barely stirred from the interaction.

Kusube smiled softly and kept his voice low. "Ah, I see you had a visitor while sleeping." Kusube chuckled softly at Takumi's blush. "Anyhow, I noticed the state of your clothing earlier, and had my people look for items in your size while you slept. Many people come here to leave behind clothing they no longer had a need for, thinking that others may come by and find it a nice fit for them. When you manage to, disconnect, I can have someone show you where to find them and you can pick for yourself what you'd like."

Takumi flashed him a grateful smile as he kept his voice down. "Thanks. I honestly hadn't even noticed until now. Hehe, guess I really was exhausted huh?"

"Hehe, indeed. Now, would you prefer that my people simply bring in what they found and you can pick something out while keeping your friend… content?"

Fighting his blush, Takumi tested shifting his arm, causing Ruri's grip to tighten slightly, before going back to normal. He then looked back at Kusube. "I don't think I'm getting out of this anytime soon. Could you bring them in here?"

"Very well. I'll instruct them to keep quiet as they bring everything in."

About 10 minutes later, Takumi was shifting through some shirts with one arm while the other was trapped by a sleeping Ruri. He had found some that he liked, and found himself going back to the same long-sleeved black shirt again and again. 'Completely opposite to the white shirt I've been wearing, but I like it somehow. Also…' He then looked at the other items of clothing they brought in and smirked. 'Shun did mention a wardrobe change might be necessary.'

Sometime later, Takumi was going through the items he had picked out and was making sure there wasn't anything better hidden away. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he saw Ruri beginning to wake up. As she sat up, she rubbed her free hand to her eyes, then blinked a few times so she could see.

And the first thing she saw was a small smile from Takumi. "Morning Sleeping Beauty. Or, rather it's probably afternoon by now, but still."

She blinked once. Twice. Then she noticed that her other hand was holding onto something, and looked to see that it was clinging to Takumi's arm. She then blinked 3 more times. Then her mind figured out what she was just doing, causing a bright blush to cover her face as she jumped back from Takumi and refused to look him in the face. "I-I'm sorry! I, I just had a little difficulty sleeping, s-so I came to check a-and see how you were doing! A-and then I started feeling tired again so I intended to only close my eyes for a couple of minutes a-and-"

She then stopped at the sound of laughter, and turned to see Takumi laughing lightly. After a moment, he stopped and scratched his cheek idly, a small bit of red in his face. "It's alright, you don't need to explain yourself to me. I'm just glad you were able to get some rest after the whole… you know."

She then decided to keep her blushing face from view again and looked for anything else to look at. "Uh, yeah. Right." It was then that she noticed the piles of clothing in the room. "Wait, why is all this clothing in here?"

"Oh yeah. My shirt apparently got a pretty good hole in it while we were walking. Kusube noticed and decided to have some of his followers go through the donated clothing for anything in my size. I picked out a shirt, then decided it was time for a full wardrobe change. Was just going over my final selection when you woke up."

"Oh. Well then, I'll step out while you put together your new look."

"Much appreciated."

As Ruri stepped out and closed the door, she used the time to calm her blush. 'Ahhh, that was so embarrassing! Why was I clinging to him in my sleep?!' She then took several deep breaths. 'Relax, relax. He is the one who rescued me, I just feel safe around him. That's it. Yeah…' Having taken control of her blush and her thoughts, she went to waiting for Takumi to reveal his new outfit.

And was completely awestruck at what he came out wearing.

He now wore a long-sleeved black shirt under a long, deep blue sleeveless coat that was left open, with a raised collar and attached dark blue shoulder pads. His pants were a dark blue and he had white shoes on his feet. On his hands were dark blue finger-less gloves with black bird-like designs on the back. Hanging from his neck was the same pendant he always wore (which she hadn't seen until now). Finally, the red scarf of the Resistance that Shun gave him was wrapped around his neck like before.

Takumi then spread his arms out with a nervous smile. "So? How do I look?"

'He looks so cool…' Ruri then fought off a blush as she struggled to say something other than what she just thought. "It uh, it looks very good on you."

He then grinned at her (causing her to fight a little harder to prevent the blush). "Thanks! Kinda miss the old outfit, but I do like this."

"I see you've assembled a new wardrobe." They both turned down the hall to see Kusube with some of the disciples. "Very well put together as well. I hope you don't mind, but my grandchild was wanting to request a duel from you. After hearing from me about the world you come from, they felt like they needed to see how the art of Ritual stands up to the techniques of the other worlds."

Takumi grinned at him. "Sure! It would give me a good chance to break in my new outfit as well."

"Excellent. Follow me to where we practice our dueling abilities."

A few minutes later, Takumi looked over the clearing set aside for practice. The area was covered in dirt ad surrounded by different buildings. It seemed large enough for about 4 separate duels to occur at once here. Takumi could see a duel happening over with a number of spectators between a couple of people who seemed old enough to be in High School, with the boy at 3600 life points using Demise, King of Armageddon, while a girl was at 1900 life points and using Herald of Perfection equipped with Ritual Weapon.

It was apparently the boy's turn. "I activate the effect of Demise! By paying 2000 life points, I can destroy every other car on the field!" Demise then lifted his battle axe as blue and black energy surged out from the boy and into the ax.

Boy: 3600 – 1600

"Go! Devastation Cleave!" Demise then swung its ax, sending a wave of dark energy at the Herald.

But the girl just smirked. "I activate Herald's effect! I discard my Agent of Force – Mars from my hand to negate the effect of and destroy Demise!" Herald then absorbed the spirit of Mars and shined its wings brightly, causing the energy to from Demise to fade to nothing. It then gathered energy into the crossbow on its arm at fired at Demise, destroying him.

"No, Demise! Urgh. I place a card face-down to end my turn."

"My draw. I attack directly with Herald!" Herald then flew up into the air and shined its wings.

"I activate my face-down, Dimensional Prison! This banishes your Herald!" The trap then shot a beam of multi-colored energy at Herald.

"I don't think so, because since I used Djinn Disserere of Rituals to Ritual Summon him, Herald is completely immune to your trap effects!" Just before the beam hit, a spectral shield appeared and intercepted the effect of the trap card, allowing Herald to continue it attack. Herald then aimed and fired its weapon at the boy, sending him off of his feet. "Argh!"

1600 – 0

Winner!

As the monsters faded from sight, the spectators (Takumi and Ruri included) applauded to both duelists for the display and the girl offered a hand to the boy with a smile. "That was a nice plan. If it weren't for the Fairy-type monster I had been keeping in my hand, I might have lost that."

The boy smiled back at her and accepted the hand as she helped him up. "Yeah, I knew that that last card in your hand was likely a fairy-type, but I figured I should at least take the chance."

"That was awesome!" The two then looked to the highly ecstatic Takumi and the slightly nervous Ruri who was next to him and not wanting the attention. The girl then noticed the smiling face of Kusube. "Oh, Gramps. This him?"

Takumi then blinked, and looked between Kusube and the girl in confusion. "Wait, what?"

Kusube then walked over to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Allow me to introduce my granddaughter, Mio Shinobashi, both a student and a member of this monastery. Mio, this is Takumi and his friend Ruri."

Takumi took in the appearance of the girl. She was currently dressed like a civilian as opposed to a worker at a monastery. She had dark brown hair set in a ponytail, a light brown jacket over a blue t-shirt, purple pants, and white shoes. Her eyes were that of a bright yellow as she held out a hand to them. "Nice to meet you guys."

Takumi smiled back as he shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. And I gotta say, that was an incredible duel you just did."

"Thanks. I figured if you and I were to wind up dueling, I should at least get some practice in while I was waiting."

"That's fair. So, you ready?"

Mio smiled as she turned to the people who were watching before. "Alright, make some room!" She then turned to Kusube. "And gramps, can I use THAT deck?"

Kusube smiled at her. "Hmmm. I don't see why not." He then reached into his robe and pulled out a blue deck box, handing it to a smiling Mio.

As she and Takumi took their positions, Ruri moved to one of the benches for spectators with Kusube. He turned to Ruri as Takumi and Mio got themselves ready. "So, how good would you say Takumi was?"

Ruri watched them carefully as she thought about how to answer. "Honestly, I have no idea. I only met him this morning."

"I see…" They said no more as Takumi and Mio began their duel.

DUEL!

Takumi: 4000

Mio: 4000

"Since you wanted to see what dueling was like for me back home, allow me to start. First, I'll set my scale 7 Vanguard of the Trinity and scale 1 Protector of the Trinity in my Pendulum Zones!" Takumi's cards then rose in pillars of light, fascinating everyone who was watching.

Mio looked on curiously. "Pendulum Zones?"

Takumi smiled at her. "Yup. See those numbers floating beneath them? Those are the individual monsters' Pendulum Scales. And once per turn, I'm allowed to Pendulum Summon monsters from my hand simultaneously so long as their levels are between the scales. So now I can Pendulum summon monsters of level 2 through 6! _Wings that carry me to the unknown future! Awaken the infinite potential within, and guide me down the path to success! Pendulum Summon! Flock to me, my avian allies!_

"First up, Scout of the Trinity! Next, the leader of the tribal avians that serve divinity, Grand Chieftain of the Trinity!" As Takumi's 2 monsters appeared on the field, everyone looked on in surprise. "And I'm not done yet! When Scout is summoned, I get to look at cards from the top of my deck for every Winged Beast-type monster I control, then add 1 Winged Beast among them to my hand, or special summon it if it is another "Trinity" monster." Takumi then checked the top 2 cards of his deck and smirked. "Oh, lucky! 1 of the cards is Hatchling of the Trinity! So come on out!" Scout then pulled a dagger out from behind him and tossed it at the ground next to him. When it hit, it glowed and transformed into Hatchling, who began to act hyper-actively.

Ruri look at Hatchling in awe. "It's so cute!"

Takumi sent a smirk back at Ruri. "Glad you think so, but that's not all he is! And also, try not to be too freaked out by what I'm about to do." He then turned back to Mio. "I activate Hatchling's effect! Once per turn I can use this card and monsters on my field in a Fusion Summon! I fuse my Hatchling with Scout and Chieftain!" The gen on Hatchling's head then glowed red as energy then poured out and enveloped Takumi's monsters, before pulling them into a Fusion vortex.

" _Leader and spy of the tribal avians, lend your wisdom to the heir of divinity! Let the flames of passion burn within your hearts, and give rise to the eternal inferno of life! Fusion Summon! Emerge from the flames, as the symbol of my hope! Heart of the Trinity, Aka-Ho!"_

As Aka emerged onto the field, everyone watching looked on in awe of the ruby clad firebird, and Ruri in shock. Takumi had told her back on the boat that he could use Fusion, but that didn't mean she was used to the idea of Fusion being used with the expression on Takumi's face. She only ever saw anyone using Fusion with looks of superiority and cruelty, but Takumi simply looked like he was having fun for the sake of it. Even his monster seemed more friendly than the ones she's seen before.

Mio looked at Aka curiously. "Not bad, but I already know all about the workings of Fusion. You'll have to do better than that to impress me."

Takumi smirked at her. "Well then, it's a good thing I have this. If the only monster I control is a Fusion monster, I can activate this card, **Fusion Essence!** I can now special summon any number of Aka's Fusion materials from wherever they went, then draw 1 card for each. However, none of my monsters can attack on the turn I play this. Good thing this is the first turn, so I can't attack regardless. So come on back everyone!" As Takumi's monsters returned to the field, he drew 3 cards.

"And now Scout's effect triggers again. This time, I can check the top three cards of my deck." Takumi checked his cards again. "Alright! I Special summon **Ambusher of the Trinity!** " Appearing was a monster dressed similarly to Scout, except he was equipped with a longbow with a quiver full of arrows on his back.

 **Ambusher of the Trinity: Winged Beast-Type/WIND/Pendulum/lvl3/Sc1**

 **ATK:1700 DEF:1100**

Mio looked on with surprise as Takumi had a full field on his first turn. "Not bad. I'm glad you can't attack, or I'd be in trouble."

"If you think that's interesting, wait until you see this! I activate Hatchling's next effect! I can treat this card as a Tuner monster, then use him and monsters on my field in a Synchro Summon, so I'll tune my level 6 Chieftain with the level 2 Hatchling" Hatchling's gem then glowed yellow as it was enveloped in the same-colored energy.

"So this is Synchro Summoning…" Mio heard from her father about the other methods that Takumi described, but only bits of it. Now she and the rest watched as Hatchling flew up and turned into a pair of rings that Chieftain flew through, becoming 6 stars, as a beam of light then shot through.

" _Wielding the speed of lightning, and the power of thunder! Gather the storm clouds, and strike down all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Descend from the skies, as the symbol of my courage! Level 8! Strength of the Trinity, Ki-Rai!"_

As Ki arrived with the peal of thunder, he let out a powerful cry, getting a few of the spectators to cover their ears at the volume. Mio watched with fascination as Ruri watched in awe.

And Takumi continued to smirk. "When Ki is Synchro Summoned, I can hit you for 400 points of damage for every one of his Synchro materials. There were 2, so you take 800 points of damage! And when my opponent takes damage from an effect, Ki gains ATK equal to the damage until my next turn." Ki then shot out some lightning at Mio, hitting her and pushing her back a few feet.

Mio: 4000 – 3200

2800 - 3600

Mio looked back at Takumi with a smirk. "Not bad Takumi."

"Thanks. But wait, there's more! I now activate the effect of Ambusher, and trade him out to bring back Chieftain one more time!" Ambusher then lept up and took flight, gaining altitude, before taking aim with his bow straight at where he was standing a moment ago. Letting the arrow shoot, Ambusher faded away and a burst of light came into being when the arrow hit the ground. When it faded, Chieftain was standing there. "I now activate Chieftain's effect! Once per turn, I can target a monster and increase its ATK by 300x the total attributes on the field until my next turn. Ki and Scout are WIND, Aka is FIRE, and Chief is Earth. So I'll give Ki 900 more ATK." Chief then sent multi-colored energy at Ki, giving him even more power than before.

3600 – 4500

"What?!"

"Haha, sorry Mio. I know I can't attack, but I still have to at least fortify myself for your turn after all. Now then, I activate Chief's second effect, allowing me to change the level of 1 Winged Beast-type monster on the field to anything from 1 to 6. I think I'll turn Chieftain into a level 4 monster." Chief then shrouded himself in a similar kind of energy, as his level dropped by 2. "I'll now finish my demonstration and take my level 4 Chieftain and Scout to build the Overlay Network!" They then became brown and green orbs of light that shot into an Xyz portal.

" _Majestic avian with the beauty of falling snow! Dance with your kin, and release the arctic winds that bring all to their knees before you! Xyz Summon! Soar through the skies, as the symbol of my will! Rank 4! Soul of the Trinity, Ao-Yuki!"_

As Ao appeared next to her siblings, the three of them released a powerful cry, gems shining brightly. As everyone watching looked on in awe, Takumi had a small smile on his face. "So. Thoughts?"

Mio snapped her attention to Takumi and gave him a small smile of her own. "Not bad. You've assembled quite the force onto your field."

"Well then, allow me to reveal the effects of the cards in my Pendulum Zones. While Vanguard and Protector are in my Pendulum Zones, each of my Winged Beast-type monsters gain 300 ATK and DEF."

2400/2400 – 2700/2700

4500/2000 – 4800/2300

2000/2800 – 2300/3100

"And now, since Kusube gave us permission to make ourselves at home while we were here, I'll do the same for my Trinity and play the field spell **Domain of the Trinity**!" As Takumi played his field spell, a wave of light spread throughout the area, creating trees around the clearing as 3 mountains formed in the distance around them. 1 was an active volcano, another held a snow-cap with a blizzard, and the last had a continuous storm occurring at its summit. "While this is in play, if I control at least 1 other "Trinity" card, none of my spells or traps can be destroyed by card effects, and all my Winged Beasts gain another 200 ATK and DEF for each attribute on the field!"

2700/2700 – 3300/3300

4800/2300 – 5400/2900

2300/3100 – 2900/4000

"Finally, once per turn, the turn player is allowed to draw cards for each of the following types of monsters they control. Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Ritual. With this, I'll draw 3 more cards, putting me back at 5." As Takumi looked through the cards he got, "I'll place 3 face-downs and end my turn."

Mio smiled at him. "Impressive display. 2 monsters in defense mode, each with at least 3000 DEF, and a monster in ATK mode with more than 5000 ATK. Most would think that they wouldn't be able to do anything."

Takumi smirked at her. "But I'm guessing you have a few ideas on how to change that."

"It's like you read my mind. I draw. Oh, now this is interesting. I think I'll pay a field spell of my own. I activate **Realm of the Spirits**." The ground was then shrouded in fog, with batches of fog scattered about in the air around them.

As Takumi looked around the field curiously, he heard sounds of discomfort from the Trinity and saw that there was fog funneling into their crystals. "Aka! Ki! Ao! What's wrong?!"

Aka turned an eye to him. "This fog… It's taking away our powers!"

"What?!" He then turned to back to Mio. "What did you just do?!"

Mio just kept a small smile on her face. "So long as this card is in play, the effects of nearly all monsters that step on this field are negated."

"No way... Wait, nearly?"

"There exists a certain breed of monsters that this field works for, not against. Allow me to demonstrate. I summon the Spirit monster Shinobird Crane!" Appearing was a white feathered birdman wielding a bow and wearing robes.

Takumi watched in confusion. "Spirit monster?"

"Indeed. Spirit monsters are a unique breed of card. And you will see why soon enough. I now activate Pre-preparation of Rites, which allows me to add any Ritual Spell in my deck to my hand, then any Ritual monster that can be summoned with that card as well. Next, I play Ascending Soul. When monsters are tributed for a Ritual Summon, I can add any one of those tributes back to my hand. And now I activate the Ritual card I added to my hand, Shinobird's Calling!"

A small altar then appeared before her, with a scroll spread across it. "I must now offer up monsters whose combined levels equal 8 or more, then I can Ritual Summon one of this deck's ace cards. I tribute Nikitama and Susa Soldier from my hand!" The two monsters then appeared on either side of the altar and began to pour their energies into the scroll. As they then faded from sight, the scroll glowed brightly as a figure began to emerge from it.

" _Lord who inspires your subjects, hear the call of the faithful, and stand before us in all your glory! Ritual Summon! Come forth, Shinobaron Peacock!"_

As the light died down, a male figure wearing robes made from feathers that resembled those of a peacock was revealed. In his hand was a decorated sword, fashioned in blue and gold, which he was currently using as a cane.

"I now activate the effects of my cards! First, Nikitama was sent to my graveyard, so I get to draw a card. And since I summoned a Spirit monster while Crane is on the field, I get to draw another card. Next, with the effect of Ascending Soul, I'll take the Nikitama in my graveyard and return it to my hand. Lastly, I'll activate the effect of Baron! When Ritual Summoned, I can target up to 3 monsters you control. Those monsters are then sent back into your hand!" Baron then unsheathed his sword and slashed at the Trinity, sending a wave of golden energy at them. Once it hit, all three were then enshrouded by the energy and dispersed. "However, since those monsters were from the Extra deck, that's where they'll be going. Finally, Baron lets me summon another Spirit monster from my hand. I summon Shinobird Pigeon." Appearing next to Baron was another birdman dressed for travel, possessing a pair of circular glasses.

Takumi was utterly speechless at the ply she just pulled. 'She just utterly and COMPLETELY took down what was supposed to be one of my turns yet!'

"I hope you aren't going to take this lying down. Baron! Attack directly!" Baron once again unsheathed his sword and charged straight at Takumi.

"You bet I won't! I activate Swooping In! This card lets me special Summon a Winged Beast in my hand to negate damage of any kind! Come on out, Aurora Wing!" The blue serpentine avian appeared and intercepted the attack, protecting Takumi's life points. "The summoned monster cannot be destroyed in battle or affected by other card effects until the End Phase."

1200/1600 – 1500/1900 – 1900/2300

"Not bad. Well then, I'll take advantage of your field spell, and draw 1 card for controlling a Ritual monster. Next, I activate the continuous spell **Archive of Rites** , and then place a card face-down. Next, I use Pigeon's effect to return him to my hand. This activates the effect of my field spell. Whenever a Spirit monster is sent from my field to my hand, I gain life points equal to 100x its level."

Mio: 3200 – 3600

"With that, I end my turn, activating the effects of my other Shinobirds. During the End phase of a turn when a Spirit monster is normal summoned, or when my Peacock is Ritual Summoned, those monsters are returned to my hand. Also, when Peacock does so, he leaves behind 2 Shinobird Tokens." As Baron and Crane returned to Mio's hand, two tokens that looked like priest-birds appeared in their place in defense mode and Mio regained even more life points from her field spell.

Mio: 3600 – 4800

"Finally, due to the effect of my Archive, when a Ritual monster is added to my hand by a card effect, I can target 1 Ritual Spell in my Graveyard that can be used to summon them and add it to my hand." Mio smirked at Takumi as she regained her Shinobird's Calling. "So I can do this again and again."

Takumi's eyes widened at that. "You've gotta be kidding me?!"

"Afraid not Takumi. Now then, think you can overcome this?"

As many of the spectators cheered or applauded to Mio for her moves, Ruri looked on in worry, as what should have been a powerful start was reduced to nearly nothing almost instantly! Kusube watched with a small smile, waiting to see how Takumi might respond.

Takumi held an expression of worry and shock, but after a few seconds it morphed into one of joy. "You know, I'm not entirely sure I can. But I guess there's only one way to find out, right?"

Mio smiled at him. "That's the spirit! Now go on, it's your move!"

"With pleasure! Draw! I now activate my face-down, Pendulum Back! With this, if I have a complete Pendulum Scale, I can target 2 monsters in my graveyard whose levels sit between the scale. I target Chieftain and Scout of the Trinity, so that I can now return them to my hand." Takumi then looked through the cards he now had. 'Hmm. Maybe this could work…'

"Alright! With the currently set Pendulum Scale, I can now summon monsters level 2 through 6 simultaneously! _Wings that carry me to the unknown future! Awaken the infinite potential within, and guide me down the path to success! Pendulum Summon! Flock to me, my avian allies!_ Return from my Extra deck, Ambusher! And from my hand, Chieftain, Scout, and now Battlestorm!" As Takumi's field filled up once again, they were all strengthened by Takumi's Field and Pendulums.

Aurora: 1900/2300 – 2300/2700

Ambusher: 1700/1100 – 2000/1400 – 2800/2200

Chieftain: 2100/2100 – 2400/2400 – 3200/3200

Scout: 1100/1700 – 1400/2000 – 2200/2800

Battlestorm: 1700/1000 – 2000/1300 – 2800/2100

"Now I activate the effect of the Spirit Wing in my hand and equip it to Battlestorm, protecting him from the effect of your field spell!" Spirit then appeared and energized Battlestorm's wings. "This means I can now use his effect, giving him an extra 100 ATK for each Winged Beast-type monster I control."

2800 – 3300

"But that's just a side benefit. I now activate his second effect! Once per turn, if I control at least 3 Winged Beast-type monsters, I can destroy 1 spell or trap you control. Battlestorm! Bring us home!" Battlestorm then shot up in the air and spun like a top, creating a powerful windstorm that blew away all of the fog and released the effects of the rest of Takumi's monsters.

Mio stood shocked. "Woah, that was fast. I figured he would pull something interesting, but this was a little unexpected."

"I strive to surprise. Battle! Scout, attack the first of her tokens!" Scout then pulled out his daggers and charged at the first token. Just as it was about to swipe at them, a flash of light shot out, and Takumi saw Susa soldier blocking the strike with his sword! "What?!"

Mio smirked at him. "The moment you attacked, I triggered the effect of my face-down, Shinobird Salvation. When one of your monsters declares an attack, I can use this to banish a Spirit monster in my graveyard and negate the attack and end the Battle Phase." The soul of Susa Soldier then pushed Scout back and plunged his sword into the ground, creating a barrier of light that kept Takumi's monsters back.

"Ah, man. Just when I thought I had something." 'And since she has those Ritual cards in her hand, plus the 2 level 4 tokens in play, she can just bring out the Baron again and get rid of my monsters over and over. Unless I can dispose of that trap card, this will be a difficult combo to undo.' "I activate the effect of Chieftain, and change his level from 6 to 1. Now I place 1 card face-down and end my turn."

"I draw." As she looked at the card she drew, Mio gained a grin. "Alright! Now to change things up a little. But first, I summon my Crane once again." Once more the archer bird appeared, ready for battle. "Next, I play the Ritual Spell Shinobird's calling. I'll offer up the Nikitama and Shinobird Pigeon in my hand."

As Mio began to replicate what happened on the last turn, Takumi watched nervously. "So now your Baron will come out to play again?" He was then surprised by the smirk on her face.

"Actually, I happened to draw a card that can also be summoned with Shinobird's Calling, and I will be calling her forth!" Nikitama and Pigeon then sent their energies into the scroll that appeared once more, as a figure emerged again.

" _Lady that adores her subjects, hear the call of the faithful, and stand before us in all your glory! Ritual Summon! Come forth, Shinobaroness Peacock!"_

"Baroness?!" A lady dressed in a yukata styled similarly to Baron then appeared from the light, wielding a blue-green and gold fan in one hand.

"The effects of Crane, Nikitama, and Ascending Soul activate! I draw 2 cards, and return Nikitama to my hand. Now Baroness's effect activates. I can target up to 3 spell or trap cards on the field and shuffle them back into the deck! And from what I've heard, your Pendulum cards are treated as spell cards, right? So say goodbye to your bonuses!" Baroness then gathered light into her fan, as Takumi's Protector, Vanguard, and Domain began to flicker.

"Tsk. Fine then. I activate Echo Oscillation! With this, I destroy one of the cards in my Pendulum Zones and draw a card once per turn. I choose to destroy Protector and send him to my Extra Deck!" As protector resonated with the trap, he then shattered just before Baroness unleashed the energy at Takumi's cards, forcing Vanguard and Domain back into his deck.

Aurora: 2300/2700 – 1200/1600

Ambusher: 2800/2200 – 1700/1100

Chieftain: 3200/3200 – 2100/2100

Scout: 2200/2800 – 1100/1700

Battlestorm: 3300/2100 – 2200/1000

"Very well then, but now I can also summon any level 4 or lower Spirit monster from my deck. Come forth, Asura Priest!" A six-armed man wielding multiple shortswords manifested from the light. "Next, I play the spell card Shinobird Power Spot. While in play, every Spirit monster I control gains 500 ATK and DEF."

Baroness: 2500/3000 – 3000/3500

Asura: 1700/1200 – 2200/1700

Crane: 1500/1500 – 2000/2000

"Now then, my Asura Priest has more ATK than any monster you control, save for your Battlestorm. But with every monster I destroy, Battlestorm gets weaker. Also, my Priest is able to attack every monster you control once each, making her perfect for clearing out your field of monsters!"

Takumi's eyes widened in shock. "No way…"

"Afraid so. Now go, Asura Priest! Attack his Scout first!" Asura then prepared to throw its blades at Takumi's scout.

Just in time for Takumi to smirk. "I activate my face-down! Urgent Tuning! With this, I can perform a Synchro Summon during your turn!"

Mio's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, a summon on my turn?!"

"Yup! I now tune my level 3 Ambusher and level 1 Chieftain to my level 4 Scout! Time to bring back a friend!" Scout then flew up and turned into 4 rings, while Chieftain and Ambusher flew through it and turned into 1 and 3 stars respectively.

" _Wielding the speed of lightning and the power of thunder! Gather the storm clouds, and strike down all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Descend from the skies, as the symbol of my courage! Level 8! Strength of the Trinity, Ki-Rai!"_

When Ki reappeared, he gave out a cry even louder than before, stopping Asura in its tracks and causing all of Mio's monsters to look on in worry. "Guess who's BAAAA-AAACK! And this time, I WILL fight someone!"

Takumi smiled at Ki's antics, before turning back to Mio. "Battlestorm loses ATK since I now control less monsters, but as a bonus I can now deal damage to you equal to the number of Synchro materials x400! Static Discharge!" Ki then let loose the lightning as it shot down on Mio, denting her life points significantly. "Aaagh!"

Battlestorm: 2200 - 2000

Mio: 4800 – 3600

Ki-Rai: 2800 – 4000

Mio recovered with a grin on her face. "Not bad, but I can still simply get rid of your other monsters."

"Actually, so long as Ki is on the field, you cannot select another Winged Beast-type monster for an attack. And since he significantly over powers each of your monsters…"

"… Then I can't destroy your other monsters in battle. Clever. In that case, I'll end my turn. But I'm not out of tricks yet. During my End Phase, Crane and Baroness return to my hand, with Peacock leaving behind 2 more tokens. This also triggers the effect of Archive of Rites, as well as my Power Spot and Salvation. First, Archive will return my Shinobird's Calling to my hand. Next, since a WIND monster returned to my hand, I can now take any Spirit monster from my deck and add it to my hand. I choose my Dark Dust Spirit. Finally, once per turn when a Spirit monster is returned to my hand while Salvation is in play, I can destroy 1 card you control. I think I'll get rid of your Ki-Rai now while I have the chance!"

The soul of Baroness then appeared before Mio and began to gather light in her fan again. She then sent the energy straight at Ki, who began to cry out in pain. "AAAAGH! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING MEEEEE!" Ki then dispersed into light.

Mio grinned at Takumi. "Well, that's the last of my effects this turn. Your move." 'And this will be your last. With Dark Dust in my hand, All I have to do is summon him and I can clear the field of all monsters. Then I just have to use the Shinobirds in my hand to once again summon either Baron or Baroness, removing any other chance you have at holding me back. Once I clear your field on my next turn, you will not be able to stop my attacks at your life points. And since there is a Spirit monster in my Graveyard, I don't even need to worry about attacks due to my Salvation. So you better make this count.'

Takumi looked about his field in concentration. He only had 2 monsters on the field, Aurora Wing and Battlestorm, who was now down to 1900 ATK points. The last card in his hand was currently useless, and 1 draw left. 'Hmm. This will be tough. I need to draw the right card here and now if I want to get through this.'

Takumi then took a deep breath, then let it out. When he opened his eyes again, He had a determined look on his face. "My turn. Draw!" He looked at it and was surprised. 'Scattered Feathers? But I only have 2 monsters in my grave, Hatchling and Ki! Hatchling would only give me 1 card, but I will need at least 2 in order to get through this. But to banish Ki…'

"Takumi!" He turned at the voice and saw the spirit of Ki looking at him in determination. "It's alright. I will be able to help you more right now through that spell, than simply sitting in the graveyard. Don't be afraid to do this. Have the courage to make the hard choices."

Takumi turned back to the spell card and thought. After a few moments, he smiled a small smile. 'Heh. Of course you'd be able to convince me about this. Alright then, if you insist.' "I activate the spell card Scattered Feathers! I now Banish Ki-Rai from my graveyard to draw 1 card for every 2 levels he possessed. This gives me 4 cards."

As Takumi drew his new cards, he looked through what they could do and smirked. 'Alright! With this…' He then looked back at Mio. "Hope you're ready Mio, because I'm about to ruin your combo! I activate the spell, **Whirlwind Vortex**! This card makes me discard 1 card, then destroys every face-up spell and trap on your field!"

"What was that?!" Mio could only watch as she braced herself against the powerful winds that blew about her field, destroying Ascending Soul, Archive of Rites, Shinobird Power Spot, and Shinobird Salvation.

Asura: 2200/1700 – 1700/1200

Takumi grinned. "Now I just have to get past your monsters! But first, using the Scale 7 Storm-dancer of the Trinity, and the Scale 1 Shaman of the Trinity, set the Pendulum Scale!" As Takumi's monsters rose in pillars of light, Storm on the left and Shaman on his right. "With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters of level 2 through 6! _Wings that carry me to the unknown future! Awaken the infinite potential within, and guide me down the path to success! Pendulum Summon! Flock to me, my avian allies!_ Reviving from my Extra Deck, Chieftain and Amusher! And from my hand, let me introduce everyone to **Abyss Wing**!" As Chieftain and Scout appeared on the field, a third monster that looked similar to Aurora Wing appeared, except all of the blue parts were a neon purple.

 **Abyss Wing; Winged Beast-type/DARK/level4**

 **ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500**

Battlestorm: 1900 – 2200

"I now activate Abyss Wing's effect! Dimensional Fissure!" Abyss wing gave off a shriek as it glowed brightly. "Once per turn, Abyss Wing can banish 1 card on the field. And the card I'll be banishing is… Abyss Wing itself!"

"What was that?!" Mio was shocked to hear that he would give up a monster with an effect like that using its own effect! She wasn't the only one, as none of the spectators were able to comprehend why someone would do such a thing. Kusube however watched with a neutral expression as Abyss Wing disappeared in a flash of neon purple.

Ruri watched in confusion. 'There had to be a reason for that, right?' At that moment, the ground began to crack all over the place, with a purple glow shining out from underneath.

As everyone else began to wonder what was happening, Takumi could only keep grinning. "Abyss Wing has another effect. When banished, I can then Special Summon any other Banished card. So it's time to bring back a friend! Go, Dimensional Breach!" A pillar of neon purple light then shot out from the ground and high into the air. As it continued to rise, the energy began to die off. By the time it faded away, it had already gone above the clouds. Just then, a swift form shot down and struck like lightning behind Takumi, as Ki-Rai revealed himself and gave a loud call.

"When Ki-Rai is summoned outside of Synchro, he deals damage equal to 200x the number of Winged Beasts I control, so get ready for 1000 points of damage!" Ki blasted out his lightning at Mio, who recoiled from the blast. "Urgh!"

Mio: 3600 – 2600

Ki-Rai: 2800 – 3800

Mio looked at him impressed. "Not bad Takumi. However, it still isn't enough to get through my monsters."

"Wanna bet?" Mio didn't feel comfortable with the look on Takumi's face. "Because Ki is a lot like your Asura Priest, if you know what I mean."

Mio's eyes widened in shock. "You don't mean…"

"What to show her what we mean pal?!" Ki then gave a loud call in confirmation as he flew up and charged his electricity. "Good to know. Now clear her field away! Devastating Storm Strike!"

"About time! They are finished!" Shrouded in electricity, Ki shot down and vaporized all of Mio's tokens as well as her Asura Priest.

Mio: 2600 - 500

"Now then, think you know what comes next?"

Mio stared down the 4 monsters still in ATK mode and raring to go, any one of them having enough to finish her. She then gave a small smile and bowed to Takumi. "It would seem it's your victory. Well done."

Takumi grinned at her. "Thanks. Now to make it official! Chieftain! Direct attack with Universal Force!" Mio didn't move an inch as the energy washed over her and removed the last of her life points.

Mio: 500 – 0

Winner: Takumi

As the monsters faded from view, Takumi and Mio received cheers and applause for their duel from everyone who watched. Ruri smiled brightly as she ran up to Takumi. "That was incredible! I figured you were good, but that was something else!"

Takumi rubbed the back of his head from embarrassment. "Haha, thanks. Though I honestly thought I might have lost that if I hadn't drawn the right cards."

"It was still a good game." Takumi and Ruri turned to Mio, who now had Kusube next to her. "When my grandfather told me about the different techniques you told him about, I was curious about whether or not Ritual had the ability to keep up. Seems this answers my question."

"Only if the answer you found was yes, because your cards really had me on the ropes a few times."

"Haha, I suppose so. Still, it's a shame that you aren't from here. I would love to have you as a fellow student of this monastery."

Takumi grinned at them. "Believe me when I say that if I had the time, I would. But things are a little… crazy, right now."

"Indeed." Kusube put a serious expression on his face. "That said, until you know what your next step is, we would be happy to house you both here for the time being. Feel free to use our facilities however you wish, so long of course you don't mess anything up." By the end of his sentence, his face was once again pleasant and warm.

Takumi grinned and Ruri bowed to him. "Thanks!" "Thank you."

Mio then stepped behind them and pulled them close. "Alright! Now that all that's over with, how would you guys like to have some fun? The nearby town has quite a few fun things to do!" Ruri looked at her with worry, while Takumi watched in confusion.

Kusube chuckled. "Haha, do try to go easy on these ones Mio. Not many can handle your definition of "fun"."

Mio smiled innocently. "I'm not THAT bad…"

Takumi and Ruri eyed her warily. "Maybe we should be the judge of that."

Mio then grinned brightly. "That sounds like a yes to me! Come on!" Next thing either of them knew, Mio was pulling them at high speeds while Kusube watched amused, content to wait until later to get the deck back from Mio.

* * *

[that evening]

A few individuals stood at attention in the main hall in front of Leo Akaba as he addressed them. "Some time this morning, an unknown individual infiltrated this facility and took away a person of interest in my plans. We have tracked them to this area." A holo-map then appeared behind him, quickly zooming in on an area. "You are to go to investigate the area and determine where they have gone and to retrieve this person." A hologram of Ruri then appeared next to the Professor. "You are granted permission to use whatever means necessary to accomplish this. As such, these people are at your disposal."

At those words, the individuals turned at the sound of many footsteps, and saw a couple dozen members of the Obelisk force behind them at attention. "Do what you will, but be as discreet as possible."

"Sir!"

As they went over their directions, they never noticed a figure watching from the slightly cracked door. 'That area… so that's where you wound up.' They then turned down the hallway and pulled out a card from his deck. This card was special to him, symbolizing the bond he had with a dear friend. 'This time… This time I will not fail. See you soon… Takumi.'

* * *

A/N: I noticed they never gave an explanation for why there were Ritual users like Asuka in the Fusion dimension and there are already duel schools in Standard, so why not a monastery for Ritual in Fusion? After all, Gx had a monastery that taught about how to use the Cyber cards. Plus, I wanted an excuse to use the Shinobird monsters. The first Winged Beast-type Ritual monsters AND they're Spirit cards?! It also gives me a way to give a bit more backstory on Ryuuji.

Also, what do you guys think of Takumi's new outfit? The coat is a variation of Kaiba's from the Battle City arc of the first series. I ran it by a friend of mine and he said he liked it, so now you get to tell me how it sounds. And to anyone who reads this and fancies themselves good at drawing, I would love to see someone show me how they picture Takumi's appearance. If I like it, I may just use it for the cover image of this story.

Now then, as for the next chapter, the town they are going to is a different one than the one Yuzu winds up in later, so they won't be running into Youshou or Asuka yet. But I will accept ideas for what kind of "fun" Mio subjects Takumi and Ruri to.

Anyway. As usual, thanks for reading, let me know what you think, and feel free to let me know about any questions/ideas/requests you have.

 **OC cards**

 **Fusion Essence;** Spell/normal

You can only play this card if the only monster you control is a Fusion monster. You cannot declare an attack the turn you play this card. Special Summon the Fusion Material monsters used to summon that monster that are banished or in the graveyard, deck, Extra deck, or hand.

 **Ambusher of the Trinity** : Winged Beast-Type/WIND/Pendulum/lvl3/Sc1

ATK:1700 DEF:1100

If this card battles an opponent's monster, neither player takes battle damage. If this card attacks, it cannot be destroyed in battle. At the end of the Damage Step, when this card battles a monster and it isn't destroyed in battle, reduce its ATK and DEF by 100x its level or 200x its Rank. You can send this face-up card on the field to your Extra Deck face-up to Special Summon 1 face-up Winged Beast-type Pendulum monster from your Extra Deck except for "Ambusher of the Trinity".

P.E.- This card is unaffected by monster effects. You can only Pendulum Summon Winged Beast-type monsters, and this effect cannot be negated. Once per turn, when a Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz monster your opponent controls attacks, you may decrease the attack of the opposing monster by their level/rank x100.

 **Domain of the Trinity** : Spell/Field

Spell and traps you control cannot be destroyed by monster effects if there is at least 1 other "Trinity" card on the field. Once per turn, the turn player may draw 1 card for each kind of monster they control (Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Ritual). Every Winged Beast-Type monster you control gains 200 ATK and DEF for every monster attribute on the field.

 **Realm of the Spirits;** spell/field

Negate the effects of non-Spirit monsters. Once per turn when you normal summon a Spirit monster, you can reduce the number of required tributes needed to summon it by sending monsters from your hand or deck to the graveyard by 1 for each monster sent. When a Spirit monster(s) is sent to your hand from the field, gain life points equal to 100x the combined levels of the Spirit monsters x100.

 **Archive of Rites** ; Spell/continuous

You may activate one of the following effects of "Archive of Rites" once per turn;

-When a Ritual Monster is added to your hand by a card effect except by drawing it: target 1 Ritual Spell card in your graveyard that can be used to Ritual Summon it and add it to your hand.

-When a Ritual Spell card is added to your hand by a card effect except by drawing it: Target 1 Ritual Monster in your graveyard that can be Ritual Summoned with that Ritual Spell and add it to your hand.

 **Whirlwind Vortex** ; Spell/normal

Discard 1 card; destroy every face-up spell and trap your opponent controls.

 **Abyss Wing;** Winged Beast-type/DARK/level4

ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500

This card cannot be Special Summoned while banished except by its own effect. During either player's turn while this card is face-up on the field and your opponent controls at least as many monsters as you do, you can Banish one card on the field. When this card is banished, you can select one other banished monster and Special Summon it, ignoring its summoning conditions. You may only activate this effect of "Abyss Wing" once per turn. When a monster Summoned by this card's effect would leave the field, return it to the deck and special summon this Banished card.


	15. A little fun

Alright. Quick thank you to everyone who has read this story and favorited and/or follows this, and again for doing the same to me, since it wasn't something I expected from my first story. You all boost my confidence more and more for each and every one of you. Even more so when you guys review. Speaking of, a few responses from the last chapter.

 **HunterHQ:** Glad you liked my chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one as well. And yes, Takumi doesn't have Crossover right now, but I plan on changing that eventually. Also, you are not the only one to have that thought about Takumi and Ruri, I promise you that. As for the Fusion Luscinia, it came from the parasite card which has not had the chance to get to Ruri at this point in the story, so If she ever does get it, Academia would have to capture her again, and I am not a fan of that. Would make a nice plot twist, but we'll see how things go.

 **FurySong:** Glad you love my story! And don't worry, I already have those meetings all prepped up. Just a matter of getting to those points in the story.

 **Aibcareer2k:** Seriously? You like Takumi that much?! Awesome! Good to know that you think so highly of my story, and I will try not to disappoint in the future. Also, I have been working on a Pendulum Ace for a while, and the only reason it's taken so long is that I've been trying to figure out when and how to insert it into the story and whether or not I was satisfied with its stats. And as for Link monsters, I have thought about it, but they come with too many changes to put into this story. However, once the next series kicks off and I feel confident in my understanding of the new rules, I may create a version of Takumi for that series with Link cards. Still, thanks for the input.

Alright then. Hope you all enjoy what I have in store for this chapter.

* * *

[LDS control room]

"How is it going?"

"Mr. President. We have finished the data for the Crossover card. It will now give those equipped with it to deploy a small Action field upon entering a duel, complete with Action cards. We have even completed encoding a means of dimensional travel into them, for access to the other worlds. However, the dimension must be determined beforehand. Which one should we encode the cards with?"

"We may have our warriors and weapons, but we still need more allies. Set the cards to take us to the Synchro dimension. Also, what about the other thing?"

"Right. The analysis is over here."

* * *

[Spirit World, Domain of the Trinity]

Like in the material world, the sky was beginning to darken as Assembly Nightingale looked about the area she and her fellow Luscinias were going to be staying for the time being. Blade Burner and his fellow Raidraptors had helped to get them settled, and the majority of the spirits here were beginning to go to rest, while others began to take shifts watching the outskirts. While the rest of her sisters were feeling tired, Nightingale was still feeling a little restless, and went to watch the night sky for a bit before trying for sleep.

Hearing the flapping of wings, Nightingale turned and was surprised to see the large form of Ki-Rai before her, as he moved near the perch she was seated on. "May I join you?"

Still surprised, Nightingale nodded before Ki made himself more her size and landed. Once again shocked, Nightingale just stared as she hadn't expected Ki to suddenly change shape. After a minute, he looked at her and caught her gaze. "If you'd rather be alone…"

"What? Oh no! It isn't that! I just… I didn't expect you to change size like that. Is that normal for you?"

"Indeed. Hope, Courage, and Will, are all malleable things. One only needs a little of each in order to fight, and as such each of us can take on any size we see fit. Normally, we use our normal size you saw before, but I uh, thought that I should leave some room on the perch for you so…"

"Oh. Well, thank you." Nightingale blushed slightly and turned to the sky, not noticing the massive blush Ki was fighting.

They just sat there for a little bit, before Ki was calm enough to talk again. "So. Are you having any trouble getting sleep?"

"A little. Things weren't exactly… pleasant, in the Fusion spirit world. Speaking of, were is this? I recognize some of the stars in the sky from Xyz, but we never crossed a dimensional barrier like when we were pulled from home. Even some of the trees feel like the ones from back home."

"Oh, that? Well, it's a little difficult to explain, but each of us holds a piece of the other world's energies. Aka holds a piece of Fusion, Ao holds a piece of Xyz, and I hold a piece of Synchro. And since this is our realm within the worlds, it may be reached by any of them. In a way, it is the nexus between the dimensions, and only became accessible when we were awakened and placed in the care of our current keeper."

"Hmm. Wait, what about the Standard world?"

"Ah, that. We've managed to hold on to something from before we slept that lets us have a foothold there as well, and are in the process of completing its progress. Either way, all may access this realm from any of the worlds, assuming they can find it, but cannot go to a different one from here without their anchor being moved as well." Ki then turned to Nightingale. "So unfortunately, we cannot return you to Xyz until your own anchor, your card, is also present on Xyz."

"I see. Thank you for telling me this. And for providing me with company."

"I-it is no problem." He then turned his head back to the sky before she could see the blush rising on his face. "I wasn't really uh, doing anything myself."

Ki and Nightingale continued to sit there, Nightingale with a small smile. Some distance away however, neither noticed Ao watching with a massive smirk on her face, as she quickly and quietly left to where Aka was working on something, excited to tell him how things were going with Ki! "About time you little coward! 20 whole minutes of just staring and working up the courage to approach! Hahaha."

* * *

[Meanwhile, back in Fusion]

"Wow. Sounds like things are pretty interesting back where you're from. Aside from the conflicts and all." Mio was walking with Takumi and Ruri through one of the streets in the nearby town, hearing about how things were in Xyz and Standard. Her gramps had told her about the different summoning techniques, but didn't say much about what he learned about the worlds in general. While they walked around, Takumi and Ruri looked around in worry, with Ruri occasionally adjusting the hat hiding her hair.

"Guess so. But are you sure this is a good idea to come out here?"

"Yeah… Didn't Kusube say something about people being conscripted into Academia when they hit the right age? Wouldn't people question why we weren't then?" Takumi kept looking for people that looked at them suspiciously, but everyone that looked at them simply paid them no attention and let them be. Some even waved to them, getting Mio to wave back.

"Relax. You see those sashes I gave you guys?" They then looked at the light blue sashes that they were wearing. Mio stopped by a storage cabin near the front of the complex and put them on them (as well as one for herself) and continued to drag them straight into town.

"Well, like Gramps said, the monastery is pretty old. As such, it carries a lot of respect. In fact, it's probably one of the few places in the world were joining Academia becomes an option as opposed to a requirement. Asuka and Ryuuji for example choose to go in order to help create the Utopia promised by the Professor, while I was simply content to stay and help at the temple. The sashes are proof that we chose the Monastery over Academia. Sure, we get people complaining occasionally about how we are 'being selfish and not caring for the betterment of all' and other junk like that, but it is our lives, and we should have the freedom to choose what we will do with them."

Mio then turned around from where she was leading them and smirked while walking backwards. "Anyway. So long as you guys wear those sashes when outside the monastery, no one should bother trying to force you to go to Academia. So forget about it for now and lets all have some fun!"

Ruri still felt nervous, but Takumi was now feeling calm again. "Really? Well why didn't you say any of that earlier? Now I'm definitely up for a little fun!"

Ruri looked at him perplexed. "You're in a world controlled by an enemy with practically none of your friends or allies. How can you possibly feel like having fun?"

"Well what else can we do right now? We have no idea how to get back to either of our homes, or have a plan on how to survive out here other than hiding out at the monastery. Besides, everything has been WAY too serious for me lately, so I want to relax a little. You can't say there's something wrong with that."

Ruri had trouble coming up with an argument, so Mio let her smile get even bigger. "That's the spirit! Now come on!" She then grabbed each of their wrists and started pulling them. After a few more minutes, Takumi and Ruri were staring at the entrance to an ice skating rink. "So tell me, either of you 2 know how to skate?"

Takumi shrugged. "I have some practice roller blading. Shouldn't be that different."

"Um… not too much myself…"

"Well then Prince Charming here should help his Princess learn."

Takumi and Ruri each went red immediately as Takumi rebutted. "W-What the heck are you talking about?!"

"What? Aren't you the Prince who rescued the Princess from her Tower Prison?" Mio smirked at the both of them as they thought about it. Despite the titles and words, that is almost exactly what it was like after all. Takumi then remembered that he even made a comment like that when he saw the room she was trapped in!

' _Oh boy. I am never letting Yuya or Yuzu hear about this.'_

* * *

They then spent the next couple of hours at the rink on their own, seeing as no one else was there at the time. Mio was going every which way and kicking up as much ice as she can. Takumi took about a minute to adjust his balance, and soon he was going across it naturally. Ruri however, fell on her bum several times before Takumi went over to help her figure out how to stay upright (all while ignoring the snickering Mio and the occasional comment from the spirits of the Trinity).

Once Ruri had the basics down, Mio and Takumi raced around the perimeter of the rink with Ruri standing in the middle acting as referee. Each had pulled ahead of the other several times, before they finished the final lap and Ruri ruled it a tie. They spent the rest of the time moving around the rink as they pleased while making idle chatter.

Ruri left the place with the others feeling more at ease at having had some fun, while Takumi was almost giddy from the activity and Mio was DEFINITELY giddy. "Wooo! Man it feels good to just skate around every once in a while! So, you guys ready for the next part?"

Takumi looked at her in curiosity. "Next part?"

"Well look around. It's night out right? There's something you gotta do at least once in your life when you have time while its dark out!" Shrugging, Takumi and Ruri followed her through the streets and sometime later discovered what she meant. "Welcome to the night-time-only Haunted Mansion attraction!"

Ruri appraised the run-down looking mansion with signs and such setup around it. "You have a haunted mansion attraction in town?"

"It was put in place by adrenaline addicts who like to have a good scare every once in a while. The place is only open during the night, and is setup using Solid Vision in order to bring in monsters every once in a while. And the best part is, the AI in the system is designed to interpret the reactions of the participants to determine what scares them the best!"

Takumi's eyes lit up at that. "No way! It actually changes what it does in order to scare you more!?"

"Yup! It will even recognize people who come in before and will change things up so that things don't remain consistent and predictable!"

While Takumi was getting more and more hyped, Ruri was starting to feel more and more nervous about it. She then tried to slowly back away. "Umm, I-I think I'll sit this one out. I'll just, uh, wait over here…" She then jumped slightly as Mio dropped a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on now, it's perfectly safe! It doesn't use the Mass systems so nothing can really hurt you. So long as you don't have a heart condition, it's as harmless as a 3D movie. You don't have a heart condition do ya?"

Ruri briefly entertained the idea of saying yes just to get out of it but Takumi spoke up next without looking. "Don't think so. She was perfectly fine speed boating across open waters and flying on a Real Solid Vision construct through open air."

Ruri looked at Takumi with slight betrayal while Takumi was too excited to realize what was going through her head. Mio however flashed a massive grin. "Perfect! And think of it this way, you can go in now, then have a perfectly valid excuse to never go in anything like this again. Or everything else will real feel rather tame in comparison. And with that, let's go!"

"Yeah!"

"NOOOO!"

* * *

'… Never… again…'

Ruri was utterly incapable of speech as she, Mio, and Takumi walked out of the building. Mio was out of breath and wide-eyed from the adrenaline. Ruri was shivering from fright as she held onto Takumi's arm in a vice-like grip, eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Takumi however was calm as he usually was. "Man… That place kinda let me down."

Mio looked at him in shock. "Wait, it didn't scare you?!"

He shrugged. "Honestly, not that much. Besides, didn't it feel like it was targeting Ruri a little?"

Ruri shuddered as she recalled all the creatures that popped up in her face and over her shoulders. At the start it went after everyone equally, but over time they seemed to go after her more and more!

Mio scratched the back of her head in thought. "Actually, yeah. That was a little strange. But I still don't get why it didn't freak you out at any point."

"Honestly? There were a few individuals back home that were pretty scary on their own, so I guess that kinda ruined it for me." Takumi shuddered slightly as he recalled when he and Sora ran from Yuzu for a good 15 minutes while she was in a blind fury over one of his comments.

"Wow. Now I REALLY want to meet some of the people you know. Wait… Would you say that the only times that the AI got a good reaction out of you was when Ruri was freaked out?"

Takumi looked up in thought. Every time Ruri was freaked out, she moved behind him or Mio for protection. Some of those times, Takumi moved into a challenging position between Ruri and the creatures and glared at them.

He then looked back at Mio. "Actually, that sounds about right. Why?"

Mio then blinked a couple times, before she burst out laughing, getting the still jumpy Ruri to flinch and put more pressure on Takumi's arm. ('OW, death grip, owowowowow!') "Hahaha! Wow! I never thought the system would think things through THAT way! HAHAHAAA!"

Takumi looked at Mio confused while Ruri was still frightened. When Mio had collected herself enough, she looked at Takumi with a grin that made him feel nervous. "So, if I were to take a guess, the system recognized when it got a reaction from you, by scaring Ruri. So…"

The gears in his head began to click together as Takumi thought about what she was saying, before he caught on with wide eyes. He then became aware of Ruri's shaking having abruptly halted, and slowly turned his head to look at her. A shadow had covered her eyes, but he could sense a rising anger within her. "Uh oh…"

Takumi then realized 2 things. First, whenever he avoided an attack from Yuzu, she had never had a hold of him beforehand. The second, was that apparently there was a bit more of Yuzu in Ruri then he thought.

*SLAP!*

Takumi was now hunched over cradling the red mark on his face with tears in his eyes from the pain as Ruri walked off a little to cool down. Mio however, was laughing up a storm. "HAHAHAHAA! Oh man, you guys are a riot!" After laughing a bit longer, she collected herself a bit more and put a smile on her face. "Alright! One more stop before the night is over!"

* * *

Takumi's mood shifted from guilty and regretful to happy and excited at the destination in front of them. "There's an arcade here?!"

Mio smiled at his expression. "Yup! Open 24/7. The go-to place for hanging out with friends late at night! This place literally has every kind of game you could find at an Arcade! Come on!" Mio then ran in the front doors of the brightly lit building as music poured out through the open doors.

Takumi sweat-dropped at her enthusiasm. "Wow. She seems to really like having fun."

"… Takumi?"

"Hm?" Looking next to him, Takumi could see Ruri with a slightly nervous expression on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Um, just… Sorry for slapping you back there. I think I may have overreacted a little."

"Oh, is that all? Okay."

"Eh?"

"Haha. I'll admit, I felt a bit bad about you getting scared more because of me, so I don't blame you for slapping me. If anything, I'm glad you stopped at that."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Let's just say that I have some… interesting, friends back home. Besides, I don't get mad for things like that. Now if someone were threatening my friends, oh they would know EXACTLY how I would feel about that. Hehe, just ask TTG."

"TTG?"

"Haha, his name was Gen, but he has a temper, so Temper Tantrum Gen. I first ran into him while he was being a bully, so he picked a fight with me and lost on my first turn in a duel. Basically, just being angry doesn't make me upset. So it's all good. Okay?" Takumi held out a hand with a smile.

Ruri just blinked at him in surprise, before she took his hand with a smile. "Okay then."

"OI! Come on already!" They then turned their attention to Mio who was sticking her head out the door. "We have a LOT of games to get through, and we won't be able to finish if you guys are spending too much time being lovebirds!" She then smirked in victory as the 2 then jumped away from each other with blushes on their faces.

'Okay, yeah. I am NEVER telling Yuya, Yuzu, or ANYONE about ANY OF THIS!'

* * *

They then spent the next few hours just having fun. Though it was mostly Takumi and Ruri trying to beat the veteran player Mio, who they quickly learned was a very frequent visitor. In fact, Takumi was beginning to suspect that the real reason she stayed with the monastery was so that she could stay and have fun. Fortunately, games that required reflexes were where Takumi was able to keep up with and challenge Mio. Air hockey and Rhythm based games were perfect for him, in which Mio took a few hits to her pride, but had fun all the same.

They were now walking through town, all feeling good after having had fun like that. Mio especially seemed happy. "Finally! It's been forever since I've gone up against someone who could match me in a game like that. Tell the truth, you have some practice at some of those don't you?"

"Haha, sorry, no. I grew up in a small area, so big things like arcades weren't really common out there. All lot of that was my first time."

"Seriously? Guess those reflexes of yours are pretty good considering how well you were."

"Haha, guess so." As they continued to walk, Takumi thought he heard something and turned his head in curiosity. Seeing nothing, he made a quick flick of his wrist.

Now, since Takumi was still no good at talking to the Trinity without actually saying something, they worked out a series of subtle gestures he could use if he needed their help with something. For example, a flick of his wrist indicates that he wants their help to determine what, if anything, is in the direction he indicates. Thus, Ao flew off in the general direction as Aka and Ki floated by him and focused on their senses.

Ao then promptly flew back as soon as she saw what was there. "We're being followed. They're doing a good job of blending in, but I can feel their hostile intent."

Aka then perched himself on Takumi's shoulder. "And I can feel the power of their cards. There's no doubt about it. Academia has found us."

Takumi worked to keep his face level so as to not alert and worry Mio and Ruri while they talked, as he considered their options. 'This is bad; I didn't think they'd find us this quickly. They will have seen the sashes by now, so they should know where we're hiding out. But the monastery has its own standing in this world, so they can't just lay siege without repercussions. If we can get there, we can hold them off for a while. But if they give chase, we may not make it in time.' He then gave the motion for the Trinity to say how many it feels like are there.

Ki looked around as he felt for their determination. "Feels like a couple dozen in the surrounding area. But they're too far spread out. Getting ahead of them won't be a problem. But the distance we'll need to cover is too much to just keep running. They're likely trained for pursuit, so they'd probably catch up before we made it there."

'Great, just great. And if we simply stay and fight, they'll quickly overwhelm us. Let's see… It's still dark out, and the forest isn't too far away. Maybe…' After a bit more thought, he came up with a plan that could work. He just hoped it would work out in the end.

He kept his voice low enough for both Mio and Ruri to hear, but not their followers. "Hey, guys. Can you keep calm about what I'm about to say?"

They both looked at him in slight confusion, before Ruri responded. "What is it?"

"We're being followed. Don't look." He managed to keep them from turning their heads just barely. "The longer they think we don't know, the better. They're likely waiting for us to get to the outskirts before making their move. If we can manage to get to the monastery, we may be able to deal with them there."

Ruri looked ahead nervously. "But it's too far, it'll take too much time for us to get there."

"And the moment we make a run for it, they'll be on us. We won't make it without a distraction."

Mio looked at him in worry. "A distraction would definitely work, but do you have one in mind?"

"Well, I guess you could say that."

"What do you-"

"Look, just listen."

* * *

The Academia agents watched the targets in turns, never losing sight of them for a second while others moved slowly to surround and trap them. They had arrived in the area a little over an hour ago and had quickly spread out, disguised as civilians in order to keep a low profile. They reported the areas they had checked and moved on like a fine comb to find the targets. They had eventually found them in a local arcade and had quickly converged. While the hat had nearly made them think it wasn't their target, they were able to confirm when they saw the face. After half an hour, most of them had gathered when they left the building. They now had almost everyone in position for the capture, as they were approaching the outskirts of the town.

They were about to make a move when they noticed the male of the group fiddling with the disk on their arm. He then pulled a card from the box on his side as the blade of his disk revealed itself. He then turned in the direction of the biggest concentration of the hidden soldiers as he played the card. "I activate Heavy Storm!"

A powerful wind blew about, getting the shocked warriors he was facing to be thrown to the next road over while the rest of gathered soldiers were thrown off their feet, some landing on the ground and others being launched into alleys and trash piles in the area. While they were down, the three of them immediately ran into the woods that were in sight and dove in, ignoring the path to the Shinobashi Monastery.

The lead soldier then stood up and activated his disk, as he rallied those that were near. "Don't let them get away!" He then ran in as those who were the first to recover quickly followed.

Every once in a while, the lead soldier and those with him noticing 3 shadowed forms scurrying about the trees and continued their pursuit. After about 10 minutes, the shadowed forms burst through into a clearing and stopped at the center when they saw that some of the soldiers had managed to cut them off. They then turned to see the leader and some of his comrades coming out from the way they came, as well as a few more soldiers appearing from the sides.

The leader then stepped up in front of the rest and sneered at the people in front of him. "Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that to escape Academia."

The form in the middle then seemed to grin, as a male voice came from it. "Oh? Who said I was trying to escape?" As the moon came out from behind the clouds, its light shined down on the figures before them, surprising the soldiers at seeing just 1 of the individuals from before, flanked by 2 humanoid bird monsters! As they unfurled the wings they had hidden, one of them then donned a wooden shield and club, the other a large staff. "After all, you all did a good job of playing "follow the leader", even if you didn't realize I was the one leading."

The leader then glared at him as he addressed the others. "We've been duped! Spread out! Our objective is the girl, not him! They couldn't have gotten too far!"

As some of the soldiers tried to split off in order to find the others, the male pulled out another card as he glared at them all. "If you think I'll let you get her, you got another thing coming! I now Special summon Blade Wing from my hand!" At his words, a red bird appeared and flew swiftly around the clearing, knocking all of those trying to get out from the clearing onto their rears, before coming to a rest behind him.

"I now tune my level 2 Blade Wing and my level 3 Protector of the Trinity to my level 3 Shaman of the Trinity!" The soldiers watched in confusion at the unfamiliar summoning as one of the humanoid birds turned into 3 rings that the remaining monsters flew through, becoming 5 star-like lights.

" _Wielding the speed of lightning and the power of thunder! Gather the storm clouds, and strike down all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Descend from the skies, as the symbol of my courage! Level 8! Strength of the Trinity, Ki-Rai!"_

As Ki shot down from the sky with a bolt of lightning, the monster gave a piercing cry that rattled all of the soldiers. "When Summoned, he deals damage to all of you! Go, Ki-Rai! Let them know what happens when you threaten a friend of ours!"

As the thunderbird gave a cry, lightning danced across its body and arced out towards all of the soldiers, throwing some into trees and others across the ground. As the leader began to fall to the ground, he kept himself conscious enough to signal his location to the rest of the soldiers, before quickly passing out.

Takumi then shut down his disk with a sigh. "Man. That was a little nerve wracking. Thanks Ki."

Ki then appeared on Takumi's shoulder. "Please. I'd be willing to do something like this as often as possible, especially against the likes of Academia! To imprison such a gentle person…"

"Hmm? Hey Ki, you've been acting a little different lately, haven't you?" Ki then seemed to look anywhere but at Takumi, making him feel like he was hiding something. "Oi, what's up with you?"

"Haha." Takumi then turned to his other shoulder where Ao was perched with a wing over her beak. "Oh, don't mind him. He's just been making new friends back in the spirit world."

Takumi raised an eyebrow, not seeing Ki's eyes widen at Ao's words. "New friends? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Want a hint?" Takumi gave a deadpan look at her as she laughed a bit more from seeing the look of panic on Ki's face practically begging for her to say nothing. "Let's put it this way. How close do you think Yuya and Yuzu are?"

"Well obviously they're friends that like each other, but what does that have to do wi-" He then stopped as he thought about it, Ki looking more and more worried. Takumi's eyes then widen as he realized what that meant as he then turned to Ki. "No way."

Ki then brought both of his wings over his face. "Urgh! Please, just leave it be. Aka and Ao are already bad enough."

Takumi then gave him a devilish smirk. "Hmmm. I'll think about it if you tell me who the lucky spirit is."

"Oh, oh! Nightingale! The lucky girl is Nightingale!" Ao couldn't keep quiet knowing that Ki wouldn't say anything. "It's an Xyz spirit being used by that Ruri girl."

"Really now? Interesting." Takumi then looked back at a slightly mortified Ki. "Oh please tell me this was a love-at-first-sight type of thing."

"Oh, it was."

"OH SHUT IT ALREADY!" Takumi and Ao both laughed at Ki's embarrassed outburst, before Aka appeared before them.

"As much as messing with Ki is fun," "HEY!" "I'm afraid we don't have a lot of time."

Before Takumi could even ask why, he heard rustling in the bushes around the clearing and saw a few more soldiers appearing, disks activating. "Ah crud, almost forgot there were others. Well then, let's work on our retreat while we slow them down." He then activated his disk again as he prepared to fight them.

* * *

Ruri and Mio were running up the path through the forest as quickly as they could. Once Takumi had played the Heavy Storm card, they all quickly ran into the forest and while the girls took a quick turn, Takumi played a couple of his Trinity cards and used the cloud covering up the moon to make it seem like they were the 2 of them instead.

As he went ahead, they hid low and behind a tree as the soldiers chased after him. About a minute after they had all passed, they worked their way to the path and ran as fast as they could without tiring themselves out too quickly. Ruri was reluctant to leave Takumi on his own, but he was surprisingly good at arguing his point.

They soon came within sight of the monastery, and then picked up the pace, Mio calling for whoever was on duty. One of the priests met them at the entrance. "Mio, what's wrong?"

"Academia is here, and their coming for Ruri and Takumi! Make sure everyone's ready."

"Of course. I'll go get Master Kusube as well." He then ran off as Mio and Ruri caught their breath.

Ruri then turned to Mio. "What… *huff*… did you mean… *huff*… by get everyone, ready?"

Mio then turned to Ruri with a smirk. "What? You didn't think this was the kind of monastery that lets people do what they want without voiding the consequences, did you?"'

"What are you talking about?"

"Well think of it this way; Ever heard about something called a warrior monk?"

"… Oh." She then looked out into the forest, hoping that Takumi was alright.

* * *

[Domain of the Trinity]

Things were not looking well.

Ki sent another burst of lighting at the pack of Hunting Hounds that were before him, destroying each of them. He then looked around and spotted another Chaos Ancient Gear Giant, and began to focus the leftover charge from his blast. He then sped straight at the giant, forming an arrowhead from the energy and piercing threw its torso. Ki then turned and watched as the giant fell over, defeated. Looking to the side, he saw Blade Burner Falcon showing another Giant what it feels like for a can to be under a can opener.

While Takumi was dealing with the soldiers in Fusion, the spirits of those duelists had managed to find the Domain and were trying to gain access. Ki and his siblings were holding them back, but more and more just kept coming!

Aka was sending flames to support those that were getting tired, buying them time to recover and receive reinforcements. Ao was creating harsh cold winds that hampered the progress of the enemy while their allies took them down. And Ki and his new pal Blade Burner were doing what they do best.

Glorious combat!

But no matter how many he and the others brought down, more just seemed to come in and replace them. Even Ki was beginning to feel tired! He was an expert at fighting endless hordes and yet they were tiring him out! If he were able to access his stronger form already then maybe he could finish this more easily, but somehow he still can't activate it. So he'd just have to rely on taking down as many as he can as fast as he can until something changed.

It was just then, right when he was about to charge through another giant, that he heard a roar. A painfully familiar roar. Looking up and in the direction the enemies kept coming from, he could only grimace at the black forms that were flying in with more figures following from the ground. And leading from the front of the airborne units was a being with bright crimson eyes. 'Great. Now we have to deal with these guys as well.'

* * *

Takumi couldn't believe his luck. He had only intended to buy time for Ruri and Mio to get away and to take down a few of the soldiers after them, but now the rest made it to the clearing and had heard the sounds of combat as he tried to retreat. So many trees had been taken out by the Real Solid Vision constructs that they may as well have been prepping for the creation of a new road!

Not only that, but he was getting tired, and still had 6 soldiers to deal with! He managed to clear out most of their monsters and get 5 of them at about 1000 life points, but the newest one somehow managed to get out one of the Ultimate Ancient Gear Hunting Hounds! Not only that, but the others managed to activate Ancient Armageddon Gear and Fusion Trench, which put Takumi at a serious disadvantage. Especially since he was down to only 300 life points himself.

The soldiers sneered at Takumi as he sweated slightly trying to think about what he could do, when one of the soldiers stepped up. "It's over for you. My-"

"MY TURN! DRAW!"

Takumi and the soldiers turned at the intruding voice, and Takumi was shocked at who he saw. They may have traded the hoodie for a black leather jacket, but even in the current lighting, he wouldn't mistake the form of Ryuuji coming through the trees, even if the electric surge that comes from the penalty of entering an ongoing duel illuminated him in a sinister kind of lighting. 'Ah, man. Not him too!'

Ryuuji looked through his hand pulled three cards. "I activate Polymerization! I fuse the Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Meteor Dragon Red-eyes Impact in my hand! _Legendary Dragon with eyes of red, inherit the strength of the meteor of darkness, and descend before us in a fiery blaze! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Meteor Black Comet Dragon!"_

Ryuuji's dragon descended with a powerful roar, knocking even more trees away while making Takumi nervous and the soldiers giddy with their imminent victory.

"I now activate his effect. I take the Red-eyes Archfiend of Lightning in my deck and send it to the graveyard, dealing damage to my opponent equal to half the ATK of that card." Takumi watched helpless as the soul of Ryuuji's Gemini monster then appeared and was turned into a red fireball in Comet's clawed hand, before it was sent flying.

Right into one of the weakened soldiers! "GAAARGH!"

900 – 0

Takumi and the rest of the soldiers were speechless, shocked at what they just saw. Then one of the soldiers rounded on Ryuuji. "OI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? OUR ENEMY IS OVER THERE!"

Ryuuji glared at the soldiers. "That's right. Your enemy is over there. And unfortunately for you, that makes you MY enemies."

"WHAT?!" Takumi was speechless, surprised that Ryuuji had come to his aid.

Ryuuji then pulled another card from his hand. "And to demonstrate my point, I now activate the spell card Pre-preparation of Rites, and add a Ritual spell and monster from my deck to my hand! I now activate that spell, Red-Eyes Transmigration!" A ring of red fire then formed around Ryuuji, radiating with power. "I must now tribute monsters from my hand or field, or banish "Red-Eyes" monsters from my graveyard whose combined levels equal 8 or more! Archfiend! Impact! Lend me the strength within your souls!"

The spirits of Archfiend and Impact then appeared beside him and funneled energy into the ring of fire, causing it to grow in intensity as the flames reached out and began to cover Ryuuji's body! As they all watched in shock, Ryuuji closed his eyes and continued the summon even as his head began to be enshrouded by the flames.

" _Destructive legacy with eyes of Red, infuse my very being with your fury! Grant me scales of the blackest obsidian, so that I may erase all who call themselves superior! Ritual Summon! Behold my ascent! Lord of the Red!"_

A pair of large black wings burst out from behind him and then swept away the flames, as everyone saw Ryuuji covered in Red-eyes themed armor, duel disk sitting just where it was. There was even a dragon tail in sight that swayed slightly. When Ryuuji opened his eyes, he gave out a roar even greater than Meteor's, from which everyone could feel the power that now radiated from him.

When Ryuuji's roar was over, he stretched out his limbs as he got a feel for how it felt. "Man… It's been a while since I've used this. Now then, let's keep this going. I activate Dragon's Gunfire! If I control a Dragon-type monster, I can use this card to activate one of 2 effects. I choose to hit you over there with 800 points of damage, which will finish you off."

Said soldier backed up in fear at that statement as the rest of them were nervous. But then Ryuuji turned to the one controlling the Chaos Giant. "But first, I chain my own effect! Once per turn, when a card or effect is activated, I can destroy 1 monster on the field. I choose to obliterate that eyesore of a machine." Ryuuji then held up his right arm at the monster as it glowed red. "And since one of you idiots managed to activate Armageddon Gear, it will then hit you for every one of that Hound's 2800 ATK points. Probably should have thought of that."

He then intensified the glow in his right arm and shot a large lance of red flame straight at and through the center of the Hound, creating a massive hole through its torso. The soldier who had summoned it was then blasted back by the shock-wave from the resulting explosion and was throw out into the trees. "GAAARGH!"

2000 – 0

"Don't forget about my Gunfire card! Take this!" He then formed a red sphere of energy in his right hand and threw it at one of the weakened duelists, blasting them into a tree. "Gargh!"

800 – 0

Ryuuji then looked at the last card in his hand. 'I'm sorry I didn't listen to you before. But I promise… I won't fail to realize where my loyalties should lie anymore!' He then turned his gaze to the 3 remaining soldiers, each of which were terrified of the ally turned enemy, as he played his last card.

"I now activate the spell card Swing of Memories! I now chain its effect with my own second effect! Now, I can destroy any spell or trap on the field! I'll obliterate the pesky little Fusion Trench card, freeing my ability to attack!" He then raised his now empty left hand and focused red energy into it, firing another red lance straight through the image of the trap card.

"Now the effect of my Swing of Memories activates! I can revive 1 normal monster in my graveyard! Return to the battlefield, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" His signature dragon appeared with a roar, before it, Comet, and Ryuuji all eyed the terrified soldiers. "Battle! Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Inferno Fire Blast!"

"ARGH!"

900 – 0

"Meteor Black Comet! Blazing Dark Meteor!"

"GAARGH!"

1000 – 0

"Now my turn." Ryuuji then stretched open the wings on his back and flew straight at the remaining soldier, holding back a fist as it glowed red. "This is the end! RED SUPREMACY!" He clocked the soldier right in the head, sending them flying into another tree, unconscious upon contact.

800 – 0

When Ryuuji landed, he then took a deep breath, and turned to Takumi, still clad in his dragon armor. "… Hey."

Takumi just stood there, blinking in shock. Ryuuji looked down in shame, thinking the worst of what he could be about to say. 'Any moment now, he's going to question everything I do and say how much he doesn't trust-'

"THAT WAS EPIC!"

Ryuuji's train of thought abruptly crashed at those words, and when he looked up, he saw Takumi looking all over the armor he was wearing. "I've never seen a card that makes itself a part of the player before! I heard you didn't want to use Ritual until after you made up with Asuka, but that is no excuse not to use a card as awesome as this!"

Ryuuji blinked in surprise, then a small smirk crossed his face. "Heh. It is awesome, isn't it?" He then caught on to what Takumi had said. "Wait, you know about my fight with Asuka? How?"

"Hm? Oh, Head Priest Kusube told me about it when he found out I knew you."

"… Damn old man. He really has a bad habit of talking when he shouldn't be. Anyway, we can discuss all that later." Ryuuji then ended the current duel, only him and Takumi still in it, removing his armor and causing the rest of his and Takumi's active cards to disappear. "So, I hear you were out here trying to help someone?"

Takumi blinked a couple of times, before a panicked look crossed his face as he remembered what he was supposed to be doing by now. "Oh god, RURI! Come on, I need to make sure she's okay!" He then grabbed Ryuuji's arm before he could protest and started running, practically dragging Ryuuji behind him as he tried to keep upright.

* * *

Ruri was surprised at how many were ready to defend her at the monastery. Everything looked normal for what you'd expect for a normal morning in a monastery, but Ruri could see all the attendants that were ready to fight at the slightest hint of danger. Mio wasn't kidding with the warrior monk comment, because it seemed that every member of the monastery was keeping their disk on standby, even those who didn't take part in the lessons.

It was now early morning as Ruri watched from a lookout spot in one of the buildings, Mio and Kusube right beside her. They then saw the silent signal from a lookout, causing Mio to let out a breath of relief. "Alright, looks like friendlies. But let's be sure about that before we come out." Ruri nodded in hesitation, worried about what she would have to do now that Academia knew where to find her.

They watched from their hidden position as 2 figures ran through the front gate of the complex and looked around, one of them calling out. "Ruri! Mio! You guys here!?"

Recognizing the voice, Ruri ran out from her spot and ran out to her rescuer. "Takumi!"

Takumi looked in the direction of her voice and smiled in relief. "Ruri! Thank god they didn't get you."

Ruri was about to hug him from relief, but stopped when she realized he wasn't alone. She looked nervously at the boy next to him, wearing a black leather jacket over a red shirt. "Takumi? Who's this?"

Before either of them could explain, Mio and Kusube came out and recognized the new arrival, Kusube with a smile. "Well, well. It's been a while, hasn't it Ryuuji?"

Ryuuji turned to Kusube and lowered his head. "Hello Master Kusube. I suppose it has been."

Takumi, Ruri, and Mio all watched the exchange completely silent. Kusube then walked up to Ryuuji, who was refusing to meet his eyes. "Well now, what brings you back here?"

"… I suppose he does." Ryuuji then hiked a thumb over at Takumi, whose eyes widened in surprise. "Not sure how, but he managed to bring out a better argument than anyone else about what's been going on. At least, a good enough one to get me thinking."

"I see. So, what do you think now?"

"…" Ryuuji then looked Kusube right in the eyes. "That dueling shouldn't be used as a means of conquest and violence, but a means of connecting to others. And that whatever the goals of Academia are, they have nothing to do with creating a Utopia. That I have made nothing but wrong choices since joining them… And that I should have gone with Asuka when I got the chance."

Ryuuji and Kusube just stared at each other for a minute, before Kusube smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good choice."

Ryuuji smiled at that, and before anyone else realized, Takumi was next to him grinning like a madman as he placed an arm around his shoulder. "I'm certainly glad to hear that! I gotta admit I was a little worried when you popped up in those woods. Good to know you're on our side now."

Ryuuji blinked, before a smirk appeared on his face. "That may be, but you still owe me a rematch. So look out, because I'll be using my Rituals next time!"

Takumi just kept grinning. "Oh? Now that is something that I will look forward to! Hahaha! Anyway." He then let go of Ryuuji and walked over to place a hand on Ruri's shoulder. "Ruri, meet Ryuuji. He's the guy I ran into back in Standard, and the guy sort-of responsible for me getting to this dimension. Ryuuji, this is Ruri, the sister of a friend of mine and, until recently, a prisoner of Academia."

Ruri looked at him warily as Ryuuji rubbed that back of his head. He then gave her a determined look. "Uh, sorry about what you went through. Didn't really know about how far they were going, but now that I do know that I'm not letting them get away with this anymore. Both you, and Takumi here, have my word."

Ruri was still nervous about him, but after looking at the reassuring faces of Takumi, Mio, and Kusube, she took a deep breath and steadied herself. She then looked back at him with a nod. "Thank you."

Ryuuji nodded in relief, then turned to Takumi. "So. I assume you have an idea of how you plan to get out of here?"

Takumi then grinned widely at him. "Not a one!"

"…" Ryuuji just stared at him, not making a single motion in response. After a few moments, he face-palmed and spoke in monotone. "You cannot be serious." He then gave a deadpanned look at Takumi. "How can you not have a plan for getting out of here when you managed to not only gain access to Academia, but rescue a prisoner and take refuge in one of the few places that can hide you?"

"Honestly? A whole lot of luck. Heck, I never even meant to show up in Academia!"

"How the heck did you even get there then?!"

"My disk was connected to yours when your return protocol activated! Originally, I was just trying to test a new access feature I got on my disk, but the next thing I know I'm in the middle of what looked like a courtyard!"

Ryuuji then rubbed his temples with his eyes closed. "I could have gone looking for Asuka. I could have gone to apologize and make amends. But nooo. I had to come after you to see if I could help and wind up in this position."

Takumi was about to retort when one of the priests gave a call. "Some people are running up the path!"

Ruri looked worried while Takumi and Ryuuji looked in the direction of the gate with intensity. They then exchanged a look and nodded, agreeing to put this behind them for the moment. Takumi then went to Ruri. "Come on, until we know they're friendlies, we can't let anyone see us." Takumi and Ruri then went to a hiding area with Mio and Ryuuji in tow, as Kusube stayed out in the courtyard, ready to receive company.

* * *

[Domain of the Trinity]

The arrival of the Red-eyes was a better omen than Ki had thought.

Once he saw Red-eyes Darkness leading the forces, he was worried that they wouldn't be able to hold out. Then he was surprised as he saw them opening fire on the Ancient Gear monsters, successfully outflanking them and getting them to try to fight more defensively. Ki and his allies took that opportunity to pour the pressure on them, as they worked with the Red-eyes and Gemini monsters to bring down the aggressors.

Once everything had calmed down a bit, Aka, Ki, and Ao had gathered with Blade Burner to meet with Red-eyes after reverting to his normal form, and a few of his compatriots from fusion while the lesser of the Red-eyes and Gemini monsters helped out those who were exhausted from the battle.

RE grinned to the Trinity as the Fusions behind him stayed silent. "Nice to see you guys again! First off, let me to acknowledge your power from our last meeting. You lot are far beyond most that I come across."

Blade Burner glared at the dragon and those with him, as Aka looked at him appraisingly. "Thank you for your words. Now then, why did you aid us?"

RE raised his head slightly as he replied. "Because we now longer seek the same things as the rest of Fusion. What good is proving your strength if there's no one left to challenge you."

Blade burner then got right in the face of RE, his massive blade right before his chest, much to the irritation and anger of the Fusions. "You call what your kind did to my home a proving of strength!?"

RE held a claw out to those behind him, commanding them to leave this to him. "No. I call it meaningless aggression. The actions of a wild animal." RE then moved closer, pressing his torso against the tip of the blade as he looked into the furious eyes of Burner. "And I, am no animal. I am a dragon, and proud of it! And proud of those, who will look into the eyes of a dragon in challenge."

Neither side moved, as they watched the stand-off between dragon and raptor. After a few minutes, Burner scoffed as he moved back to the side of the Trinity. Those behind RE relaxed their stances, as Ki grinned widely at RE's attitude.

After a little more talking, Red-eyes and his comrades went to gather their subordinates so as to bring them into the Domain, while the Trinity and Blade Burner went to look after those who were recovering.

Well, except for Ki.

Heading over to one of the gatherings of spirits they were protecting, he looked around for the one he was with before the battle began. He kept moving from one gathering to the next, until a voice stopped him.

"Ki!"

Turning his head, he saw Nightingale over with some of her sisters and waving to him. Feeling calmer than before, he went down to where she was. "Nightingale! I uh, I'm glad you're okay."

"Of course. The other spirits kept me and my sisters safe. Is it over?"

"For now. It will be better once we get to another dimension, but that will be difficult to accomplish."

"I see. Thank you again for helping to keep us safe."

Ki blushed slightly at that. "Uh, yes, of course. I'm not going to let you go through that sort of thing again. Now I uh, I should be continuing my check of the spirits here. Yeah, that's what I was doing. I'll, um, see you around."

Nightingale watched Ki fly off with a grateful smile before turning to see the mischievous faces of her sisters. Blushing slightly, she quickly turned away as they then started a bout of giggles.

* * *

And done! So FurySong, you were wondering how Ryuuji and Takumi would meet up again. Hope you and everyone else likes it. I also thought this would be a good chapter to reinforce Takumi's mindset of "focus on what you can do, not what you can't". As well as to show more of the developments with the Trinity and the Spirit World.

Anyway. As always, thank you all for reading my story, and again to those who show that they like reading it. If you have anything to say, feel free to say it. I accept all ideas, questions, requests, criticism, etc. Hope to see you all next update.


	16. Decisions

FINALLY! To everyone who has been patiently waiting, I am sorry that this one took so long to complete. I kept trying to figure out how I wanted this chapter to go and kept having trouble writing what happens, but I finally managed to make something I was willing to post. Now then, last chapter's review responses.

 **Shiun'in Ventus:** Glad you liked the last chapter! The fluff was a lot of fun to write, for both Takumi/Ruri and Ki/Nightingale. And I was thinking about Ruri giving Takumi a Lyrical Luscinia card, I just wasn't sure if I should use an existing card or try to imagine a new one. Also good to know I caught you off guard with how Ryuuji came to help Takumi, and I hope this chapter also entertains you.

 **HunterHQ:** Yes, Ryuuji and Takumi making peace was a little fast, but I have an explanation for it that you will soon see. Hope you like the chapter.

 **Aibcareer2k:** Glad you like the way the story is going. I also have a plan for the Pendulum Ace and an idea of how to reveal Ki's evolved state, just got to figure out the fine details. Hope you like this chapter!

Anyway, like I said, I had some trouble writing this chapter, so to everyone who has loved my updates so far, I apologize if this one doesn't measure up. But if it does, then please enjoy to your heart's content!

* * *

[LDS Control room; mid-morning]

"How is it?"

"We think we've managed to put together something that can be sent, but we don't have the data to confirm the results, and we can only send out a limited amount of data. And we can't even be sure how long it will take to reach the destination."

"I see… Very well then. Tell me how much data we can get away with and I will determine the content. Then send it as soon as you can."

"Yes Mr. President."

* * *

[Fusion dimension – Shinobashi Monastery; late afternoon of the next day]

"Aaagh, why does this have to be so complicated?!" Takumi grasped his head as he sat over his disk, which was connected to the stolen Academia disk that Ryuuji was sitting over.

He then turned to Takumi with a smirk. "So there is something that can leave you all flustered and frustrated. I was beginning to worry that you so ignorant that you never felt as if anything could worry you."

Takumi turned to Ryuuji with a glare. "Well it's not like I have a lot of experience hacking and rewriting data!"

"Well it's not like we have a lot of options do we?" Ryuuji was referring to the current stand-off occurring just outside the monastery.

After they went off hiding in the monastery, Kusube went to greet the soldiers that had tracked them to the monastery. The soldiers declared that they were after someone guilty of crimes against Academia and had traced them here, which Kusube stated that there were no criminals at the monastery. After the lead soldier demanded the right to search the premises to make sure, Kusube gained a slightly fierce look. Next thing anyone knew, the soldiers were surrounded by several Heralds of Perfection, and 1 Herald of Ultimateness! As they looked around in shock, they had then turned back to Kusube who stated that Academia did not have enough authority to do as they wanted at the monastery, and that they should be prepared for any repercussions of whatever they did next.

One thing led to another, and now here they were, priests gathered in groups of 3 standing across the walls of the compound, watching the academia soldiers looking for another way in. They would have taken the front entrance, if there wasn't watched by no less than 4 priests at any time. Looking at it positively, they now had a very reliable place to hide and stay safe.

But looking at it the other way, they were effectively trapped until Academia either became bored enough, or bold enough, to storm the gates and fight their way in.

After realizing that, everyone began to brainstorm ideas for how to get out of this mess, until Ruri came up with the idea of using the warp systems of the Academia disks to try and get to another dimension, before Academia began their eventual assault on the Monastery. Problem was, Ryuuji explained that the disks were only designed to send them to Academia in the Fusion dimension. But lacking any other ideas, they decided to see exactly how much "access" the hacking feature in Takumi's disk would give them to the programming of those systems. They were able to dive into the code itself, and now he and Ryuuji were trying to figure out which bits did what.

Ryuuji then shifted through the notes they had written down. "Still, at least we were able to figure out (more or less) what each bit of data does. The current problem is figuring out how to change it to get us to another dimension. Good thing we focused on learning all that before we tried messing with anything, or we might have accidently zapped ourselves back to the Professor by now."

"Yeah, we figured out that stuff. But now what?" While they did manage to figure out what determined where they went, they had no idea what to change it to in order to get them to another world instead of Academia.

Ryuuji let out a sigh. "Well it would be nice if we could get our hands on the equivalent of dimensional coordinates of another dimension so that we can change that, as well as what other adjustments would be necessary, but doing so would require either A; a return trip to Academia in order to figure out what those codes are, or B; some act of luck or help from outside. Either way, we at least have a plan for getting away from Academia's immediate influence."

"So long as we can get ahold of the proper materials."

"Exactly."

They then let out a sigh at the same time, before Takumi turned to Ryuuji again. "So, as long as we don't have a complete idea of what's going to happen next, mind if I ask you something?"

"Well, I'm not really going anywhere, am I?"

"Hehe, you got me there… So why the sudden change of heart?" Ryuuji looked at him confused. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to have you on our side. It's just… It seems like you changed sides almost TOO quickly. I may just be feeling paranoid, but I can't shake the thought that something else might be going on."

Ryuuji stared at him for a bit, before he closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. "… Who said my change of heart was sudden?" Takumi sat in surprised silence, as he let Ryuuji continue. "You already know about my argument with Asuka. Well, we've known each other for years, practically all our lives." He then grew a faint smile as he recalled those days. "Hehe, I was always the one getting in trouble, and her scolding me and trying to keep me on the straight and narrow. Despite how often we argued, we got along pretty well. Some would even say it was because of all that that we became great friends.

"Then one day, we both came here to learn about Ritual Summoning. Academia was already recruiting by then, but we were too young by then to join, and we thought this would be a good way to prepare ourselves. Haha, imagine our surprise when we turned out to be good enough to be put on their "wall of prodigies" or whatever they like to call it. By then, most of the other students couldn't hold a candle to us."

"I can imagine, seeing as you have a card that covers you in freaking Red-Eyes themed armor!"

"You just aren't going to let that go, are you? Anyway. When we became old enough, we left for Academia in order to help with their goal of a Utopia. Or at least that's what they said they were doing, and we ate that up. Still, they made us stronger. I was feeling ecstatic with how much I'd grown. In fact, Asuka was the only person to be just ahead of me in skill, just making the position of Honor Student ahead of me. We were the best in our year, and everyone knew it."

Ryuuji then looked down with a frown. "Then it happened. I heard first from the faculty, stating that Asuka was a traitor and to be treated as an enemy. As soon as I heard those words, I ran off and tried to get in touch with her. I failed to do so for hours, and still get nothing. It wasn't until late at night, after curfew, when I finally got a call. I immediately asked what was happening, why she would do such a thing and how it couldn't have been true. Then she said the words that I didn't want to ever hear as her response.

"It's true."

Ryuuji stared off in silence for a moment as Takumi listened intently. "… She then said the sorts of things she had seen and learned, but I didn't really listen. I felt as if the person I was closest too had suddenly disappeared, replaced by a stranger who spat in the face of the rule-abiding friend I'd known for most of my life. And when she asked me to come join her, to get away from Academia. Away from the very people who helped me grow and (supposedly) fought for the good of all… Well, let's just say I didn't take it very well."

"… And that was when you swore off Ritual?"

"Sort of. My ability to Ritual was something I trained beside her on." He then pulled out his Lord of the Red card and stared at it. "In a way, Ritual became a part of the thing that linked us together as friends, as 2 of the few students in Academia that used Ritual. So, when we had that argument, I swore it off, using the excuse that Academia had made me so strong, that I wouldn't need to use what I learned with Asuka. I swore that I wouldn't need to rely on the power that Asuka excelled in. But to be honest… It just didn't feel… right, anymore. Using it with the way things had become just felt too wrong to do it."

They then sat in silence as Takumi thought through everything that Ryuuji had confessed. "… Wow. That's just… wow."

Ryuuji looked at him incredulously. "Seriously? "Wow"? That's all you can say to all that?"

"Well, what can I say? I've honestly never been in that type of situation before, so how could I respond? Anyway, so this has been going through your head all this time?"

"More or less. After Asuka left, they offered me the position of Honor Student, but I didn't want it. So after numerous refusals to accept the position, I was offered the chance to be an advance agent instead. That, I jumped at. I just… needed to get away from it all. So I went to Standard and began to learn what I could about those that lived there, eventually winding up in that Championship. Of course, most I went easy on, seeing as none of them were able to give made a challenge. And then, sometime later, I infiltrated the Royale and began to work with the soldiers they had sent after Serena and her Standard counterpart."

"Wait, they were after Yuzu then too?! Not just Serena?!"

"Just 1 in particular, but I heard that he returned empty-handed so she's probably safe. Anyway, what happened next was our second duel, where you managed to get through to me with more than just words, but actions as well. By the end of our duel, I had gone back to thinking about how everything felt while ignoring my pride. And you were right. Which, ultimately, meant that Asuka was right in the end. Making me the one not able to see reason. At that point, I just about despised myself.

"Then, a little while after waking up and recovering, I overheard that someone using Winged Beasts had taken a person of interest away from Academia." Ryuuji then looked at Takumi with a raised eyebrow accompanied by a smirk. To which, Takumi gave a nervous laugh in reply. "Anyway. Once I heard that, I came to the decision to turn traitor like Asuka did, and try to repay you for showing me just how wrong I was."

"Why not go after Asuka?"

"I almost did. But I wasn't exactly… pleasant, the last time we spoke. To be honest, it was easier to go to your aid than hers, both because I knew where you were hiding, and because it's just too hard to face her right now…"

They both sat in silence for a few moments, before Ryuuji shook his head and changed the subject. "Enough about me. What about you? What's the story with that girl you rescued? Ruri right?"

"Yeah." While Takumi and Ryuuji worked on a way to use the disk to escape, Ruri went to go relax a little with Mio's help. He felt like it wasn't his place to ask what they were going to do. "She's from the Xyz dimension."

Ryuuji's eyes widened at that, especially since he'd seen the files Takumi had taken from the servers of Academia. "You mean… She really saw all that?"

Takumi nodded. "Yeah. Not only that, but her brother and his friend were a part of the resistance that were fighting back. When she was grabbed, for whatever reason Leo wants the girls with her face, both her brother and his friend left Xyz in order to find a way to get her back. They found themselves in Standard, and later on I found her brother. Hehe, and let me tell you, her brother Shun really knows how to be intimidating.

"Anyway, after hearing all the things he went through, I decided to lend him my support. It took a little while, but I eventually got him to trust me enough for him to call me a comrade, if not a friend. Good thing too, because I got a card out of it." He then pulled out Blade Burner Falcon from his own deck. "It was in part thanks to this card that I was able to get past the person guarding Ruri and get her to trust me. He even gave me this scarf last time we met." He then pointed to the red scarf he now wore around his neck.

"Huh. Sounds like an interesting guy."

"Oh he is. At least, once you get past his trust issues and become his friend. To anyone else, they'd be hard pressed to survive against him in a duel. His Raidraptors were both fierce and determined! And once you get on his good side, you can count on him to have your back at every turn."

"So where is he now?"

"Last I checked, back in Standard. I didn't exactly get the chance to coordinate my trip to Academia with the others."

"Good point. I guess if you did, he wouldn't have let you come on your own, huh?"

"Nope. Though, he might have been a little less subtle about the rescue."

"Oh?"

"Hehehe, let's just say that his plan to get Ruri back while in Standard involved carding lots of people as stage 1."

"Oooh. Yikes."

"Haha, yeah, that was sort of what my reaction was."

"I'm pretty sure that would be the normal reaction for anyone with a sense of normalcy. Still, I kinda had the thought that you and her were a thing with the way you went running off the moment we got away from those soldiers."

Takumi then got a few shades redder at those words as he began to stumble on his words. "Wha-what?! We aren't like tha-" He then froze as he realized something.

Ryuuji had been about to laugh at his reaction, but stopped himself when he froze. When he became slightly worried about Takumi's behavior, he then leaned towards him and waved his hand in front of his face. "Yoohoo? Takumi? You in there?"

Takumi then dropped his face in his hands in a slightly depressed manner. "This is it. This is karma for everything I did to Yuya and Yuzu. The universe is beginning to equalize itself."

Ryuuji raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Uh, I know that those are the doppelgangers of Standard, but what do they have to do with anything?"

Takumi never lifted his face as he responded. "Yuya and Yuzu obviously like each other, but neither one has made the first move. And I kept on teasing the both of them starting the moment I learned this."

Ryuuji blinked as he thought about what Takumi had admitted, then a massive smirk spread across his face. "Oh? So that means, you also like Ruri then?" Takumi's head shot up at that, staring at the floor with wide eyes and a slightly pale complexion, as Ryuuji laughed his butt off at how he reacted.

Takumi glared at him before returning to the disks. "A-anyway, we do still need to figure out how to get out of here."

"Haha, true." Ryuuji then turned back to the data that determined how the systems worked. "Okay. The transport system is largely random, requiring a focuser in the target dimension in order to acquire a specific area within the dimension. Therefore, the data only determines which dimension we go to. But we need to be careful which variables we change. If the data locks onto the Xyz dimension, or we are unable to change it from the Fusion dimension, we will likely wind up in the clutches of Academia again, and we'll need to fight our way out again. Assuming we don't get caught instead."

"But because we don't know how to change the data, we can't be certain of where it will take us once we put it in. Moreover, we only get 1 shot at it, since we don't have a way of testing without winding up back on that island." Takumi finished Ryuuji's analysis as they both held a look of frustration. Takumi then let out a sigh. "Awe man… I really wish I had grabbed more data back at Academia! Where the hell is Reiji when you need him!"

*beep beep*

Both of them froze, before slowly turning to look at Takumi's disk, which was somehow displaying a message. Sharing a look of concern and confusion with Ryuuji, Takumi brought the message up on the disk. "… Weird. Whatever this is, it has what looks to be a good amount of data, but it's password protected."

"Let me see." Takumi handed the disk to Ryuuji who analyzed the data packet, and noticed something in the corner. "… Looks like a hint is hidden in the corner here. Let's see…" Ryuuji then made the mini text larger. " _At the head of the charge, the _ charge forth._ What the hell is it talking about?"

He then heard the sound of a slap, and turned to see Takumi doing a face-palm. "Uh, are you okay?"

Takumi then dragged his hand down his face, a deadpanned expression on his face. "You. Cannot. Be serious." He then took the disk back and looked at the message himself. "… That jerk, is impossible. The literal MOMENT I mention him he proves just how freaking smart he is yet again. I don't know whether to be relieved, or exasperated at him."

Letting out a sigh, Takumi input the password for the data; LANCERS.

The data opened with a ping, revealing a set of codes, and a message. Takumi checked the message first.

Takumi.

If you are reading this, then you have managed to avoid capture from Academia. The moment you vanished from Standard, I ordered a section of my analysts to determine whether or not it was possible to send this data to you. They determined that a real-time call was impossible, but a message that could arrive with some delay was possible, so long as it was within the limits of what could be sent. Therefore, I will limit this message to what is important.

The Lancers Selection was successful, and the Academia invaders were successfully repelled. However, things are not yet in place for us to begin our assault against my father. And so, by the time you should be reading this message, myself, Shun, and the rest of the selection will have traveled to the Synchro Dimension in search of allies. We have determined that you can use the access system in your disk to access the trans dimensional shift systems in the Academia disks. The data in this packet will help you to reprogram a disk to take you to Synchro, where we can reconvene and give you the finished materials for the Lancer modifications.

As of sending this message, we know next to nothing about Synchro, or their willingness to aid us. Please make haste, and attempt to meet us in Synchro as soon as you can.

Reiji Akaba

Grinning brightly, Takumi looked back to Ryuuji. "It looks like we'll be able to get out of here more easily than we thought."

* * *

[Domain of the Trinity]

Red-eyes and his allied spirits made good on their word and helped them in keeping out those that tried to approach the area with ill-intent. A number of Ritual Spirits even joined in in helping the weak and wounded, and driving away enemies. Aka and Ao watched the most recent skirmish, where RE worked with both his allies, and the forces of the Trinity to easily push back the latest advance.

Aka smiled with the ease of which they were holding their own, despite the earlier trouble from before RE appeared to aid them. "Things seem to be looking up since we arrived in Fusion."

Ao looked about worriedly. "Yes, but I still don't like it here. This is a place where the freedom of the people has been oppressed, and has caused mass suffering across the dimensions. Just BEING here sets me on edge."

Aka hung his head sadly. "True… This place has seen far too much selfishness so far." He then raised his head to the sky with determined eyes. "But that just makes our mission that much more important. We must succeed this time, or all may be lost."

Ao nodded at her brother just as determined. "Then should we make progress on, THAT today?"

"Yes. Go find our brother. I'll meet you both there." Ao nodded and flew off in search of the Thunderbird, while Aka cast his eyes on a cloud that hovered above the forest and was just above the three mountain peaks. He then flew up above it and came to land on the cloud, acting as a soft platform, as he observed the only other object up here.

It was a small crystal, no bigger that a human forearm. It was pure white and releasing a soft glow. Originally, it had been a simple diamond that had been used to store the energies of nature, before they were focused into 4 specific cards. They had then used it to seal themselves within their respective mountains until their release. It was supposed to be empty, but upon awakening, Aka had found an unknown energy within it. Upon investigating, he found it resonated with the same energy that Takumi had been using to Pendulum Summon.

But that wasn't all that he felt within it…

The flapping of wings stirred him from his thoughts as he turned to see Ki and Ao land upon the cloud and walked over on their feet, Ki looking slightly off while Ao was smirking.

Aka raised an eyebrow at them. "Did I miss something interesting?"

Ki turned his head sharply to Ao as she giggled. "Oh, nothing much. I just found our brother having another conversation with a certain Xyz Spirit."

Ki hung his head with a sigh, trying to hide his blush. "Seriously, lay off. We aren't like that."

"Not yet at least." Ki turned a betrayed look to his brother, who had a smirk of his own for getting in on the fun. "Hahaha. Now then, to the matter at hand." The 3 of them then turned back to the crystal before them, each taking position around it like the points of a triangle.

Ki looked at it dubiously. "I'll admit, I'm not sure about this. We have no idea whatsoever will happen from this."

"That's only because as far as we know, nothing like this has ever been attempted before." Ao then looked intently at the crystal, before turning her gaze back to Aka. "But are you sure about this brother? Ki does have a point."

"I know, but we all know what could happen if we simply sit back and continue as we have been. HE will return soon, and if we are to succeed this time, we will need every advantage we can get. Besides…" Aka then turned his gaze back to the crystal. "I can feel it within. This energy may be pure, but it also contains something within it. That Spark that can only come from the presence of life, something that wishes to be, yet lacks the ability to make it so. And so, that is what we'll do. We will teach it what we know, and feed its growth with our own powers."

Ki gazed at the crystal. "While it would be nice to have another ally at our side, I still feel concerned about this. We all know how this power came to be."

"That may be true brother, but we cannot condemn an existence simply because of those who came before it. Take Academia. Would you condemn and entire world, simply because of the first ones we met from that world?" At Ki's silence, Aka continued. "This power may have come to be from HIS influence, but he was simply the first to stumble onto that power, trapped as he was between realms as his incarnations lived their own lives. This power itself is innocent, and deserves the chance to decide for itself what it will do, to decide what purpose they will hold. We are not judge and jury, but simply those that light the path forward. It will be up to them which path they will follow."

They were silent for a moment, before Ao raised her head to look at her brothers. "How much longer before we tell him the truth?"

Ki hung his head at that. "He deserves to know of what happened before."

"Yes, he does. But not yet. He isn't yet ready to handle that kind of revelation. One day, he will. But until then, we must wait. Wait, and prepare." At Aka's words, the 3 resolved themselves and began to feed their energies and knowledge to the crystal before them.

* * *

[Shinobashi Monastery]

"You sure this is going to work?" Ruri looked between Takumi and Ryuuji as they changed the codes in the stolen disk with the data that Reiji sent them. It had gotten there several hours ago, so it was now approaching night. Since neither of them had left the room since they had begun to work on the problem, Ruri and Mio had gone to check on them, only to find them talking excitedly about what they were working on, Ryuuji adjusting whatever points Takumi told him to adjust.

Takumi kept his eyes on the data as he answered, looking at what other adjustments might be needed. "Sure it will. We just aren't sure what kind of landing we'll make."

Mio and Ruri each raised an eyebrow. "Landing?"

Ryuuji didn't look up either. "With the data we have, we will be able to get through the dimensional barriers and arrive in another dimension. But since there isn't a focusing device in the dimension we're setting this to, we can't be certain where in the dimension we'll wind up. We could pop out in an alleyway, out in the park, out over the water, etc. On the positive side, we most certainly won't pop out inside a concrete wall or hundreds of feet in the air, or anything immediately life-threatening due to environment. Onboard safety devices check for things like that."

Ruri visibly cringed at the last 2 visuals Ryuuji conjured up, as Takumi found the last bit of data. "Here. Change this, to this… and exchange these values with these ones, and then we should be done."

"Got it." Ryuuji then made a few more adjustments to the stolen disk, before standing up and stretching. "Argh, finally! I've been sitting so long, the feeling in my legs went away!" After moving his legs a little bit, he turned back to the disk and held it up. "But on the upside, we finally have this reprogramed."

Takumi gave a small cheer while Ruri looked relieved. Mio then walked over to the disks impressed. "Wow. So you guys can really use these to travel between the dimensions?"

"Sure, but only once." Mio turned back to Ryuuji. "The codes we changed aren't permanent. We were able to remove the functions that force a shift, but we can only use them once before the system needs a major overhaul in order for them to be viable for additional use. In which case…"

Takumi walked over to Ruri as he picked up. "In which case, we won't be able get you back to Heartland right away, since we only have the codes that will get us to the Synchro Dimension. But!" He saw the slightly crestfallen on Ruri's face and immediately tried to cheer her up. "I do know that Shun is somewhere in Synchro."

Ruri looked at him in shock. "What?! Why is he in Synchro?! How do you know where he is?!"

Takumi grinned. "The data packet Reiji sent me. He told me that he was heading to Synchro with Shun and the rest of the comrades in Standard in order to find allies in Synchro, so they could later launch an assault on Academia. He sent the data to me in order for me to meetup with them if I could. So while I may not be able to get you home, but I can at least get you back to your brother."

As tears of joy shined in her eyes, she then embraced Takumi in a hug, which he did not expect, but slowly moved to hug her back with some red on his face.

Mio stood next to Ryuuji as they held a quiet conversation. "You know they seem to like each other right?"

"I actually may have something of a confession from Takumi that he most definitely does."

"Nice."

They then shared a few chuckles as they watched Takumi and Ruri attempt to interact after that.

* * *

Takumi, Ryuuji, and Ruri were now standing in the Dueling field with their disks connected with Kusube and Mio watching with some of the other priests. Mio looked at the setup in worry. "Are you guys sure this will work the way you want it too?"

Takumi responded while making sure the wires were connected properly. "Well, we triple checked the configurations to make sure they were a match with the data I received, so we should be good on getting across. The connections for us being wired together is more of a precaution to make sure we don't get separated."

Ruri looked at it worriedly. "And you're positive that will work alright?"

"Sure. I did arrive here still connected to Ryuuji after all. Besides, this is also so the transfer will work with my disk. The disks you guys have were designed to be compatible with trans dimensional travel features, but mine doesn't have that configuration. And we only have the 2 disks. The moment we go trying to get another, Academia will be on top of us, so that's a no go."

"That said," Ryuuji took control as he picked up where Takumi left off while checking everything on his own disk. "We also made to the adjustments to my own disk, so as long as Takumi's disk is connected to ours, he will be able to come along for the ride." He then turned his eyes to Takumi. "That said, make sure you have that access system running just in case. It was running when you hitched a ride with me after all."

"Was already thinking about that." After a few more look overs, Takumi and Ryuuji seemed satisfied with their adjustments as they both turned to Kusube, Mio, and the rest with Ruri, Takumi giving them a massive smile. "Alright. Looks like this is it. Thanks again for letting us stay here and for keeping Academia away for us. Not to mention helping me get this new look! I honestly don't know what would have happened to us if you didn't."

Kusube waved it off as he smiled happily. "It was no trouble at all. And please, once this foolish war is over, do come back for a visit. It would be nice to hear more stories about the other worlds. And who knows? You might just feel like learning the fundamentals of Ritual sometime in the future."

Takumi grinned at that. "Maybe!"

Ruri bowed to Kusube as she bade farewell. "Thank you very much for helping us. It is good to know that not everyone from Fusion is heartless."

"Hahaha, indeed. Do stay safe child."

Ruri nodded to him before turning to Mio with Takumi. "Mio, thank you so much for having fun with us the other night, as well as keeping me company while we were here."

"Please, it was no trouble! It was great to have a new reason to revisit places that I have fun at. Not to mention how great it was to make new friends that come from another dimension! Anyway, hope you 2 stay safe. You better protect that princess of yours Takumi!" Both immediately blushed as Mio and Ryuuji laughed at them, while some of the priests chuckled as well.

Ryuuji then moved slightly closer to Kusube. "Ryuuji. It was good to see you again. Now I should mention, Asuka has gotten in touch every once in a while to make sure we weren't receiving trouble over here, and the next time she should be getting in touch with us should be soon. Would you like me to let her know about your change of heart?"

Ryuuji looked down for a moment, before raising it with determined eyes. "Not yet please. If Asuka is going to learn about me, I'd prefer if it was from me. Still, allow me to thank you for everything you have taught me in the past, and for forgiving me for my previous mistakes."

"There was no reason not to." Ryuuji looked at him in confusion. "After all, I respected your choice, and admired it when you were brave enough to admit that it was the wrong choice. And I know Asuka would say the same thing. Therefore, the only person whose forgiveness you need right now," Kusube lifted his hand onto the stunned shoulder of Ryuuji. "Is your own."

Ryuuji had the beginnings of tears in his eyes, before he quickly rubbed them out and gave Kusube a grin. "Thank you, master."

Kusube patted the shoulder, before backing up and allowing Mio a chance to talk to him. "I'll admit, I wanted to go with you guys. But since we are already short on dimensionally able disks, I'll settle for making sure things out here stay secure. So I need you to promise me a couple things. First of all, make sure those 2 don't get in too much trouble. And if you happen to be the one to get in trouble, try to leave them out of it."

Ryuuji chuckled, remembering how often he was the one getting in trouble, before Mio continued. "The other thing I need you to do for me is just as important." Mio's face then went from serious, to mischievous as she moved close to whisper to him. "Make sure to carry out my share of teasing those 2 for me, will ya?"

Ryuuji outright laughed at that, before responding. "Oh trust me, I will."

"Haha, good." As Mio and Ryuuji shook hands, smirking, Takumi and Ruri couldn't help but get a bad feeling about what they just kept quiet from them.

Ryuuji then moved closer to Takumi and Ruri as Takumi prepared to activate the access system. "Alright. When you guys say the word, I'll use the Access program to trigger the dimensional shift from both of your disks. After we land, the shift program won't work until we can get them updated, but they will still function as Real Solid Vision Duel Disks, so we won't be helpless when we land. So, any last things we need to worry about?" When both of them shook their heads, Takumi nodded. "Alright then."

He then turned back to the priests with Ruri and Ryuuji, each of them smiling brightly. "Thanks again for the help. We couldn't have lasted this long without you, and I certainly hope I get to visit again for more positive reasons. So with that, see you guys next time!"

With that, Takumi triggered the systems in Ryuuji's and Ruri's disks, and all 3 disks began to shine a white light that soon blinded Kusube, Mio, and the Priests. When it died out, Takumi, Ruri, and Ryuuji were gone.

Mio smirked at where they used to be. "Well that was a flashy exit."

* * *

Leo has not been happy the last few days.

First, he learns that the bracelet girl from the Xyz dimension was taken from her tower and that they managed to commandeer a speed boat off the island. Then, when he sent in agents to go and locate and retrieve her, they were apparently intercepted by one of the rescuers (according to the reports) before they could complete the trap. And then, just when they had said rescuer on the ropes, Agent Kurobe arrived to aid them and betray Academia like his old acquaintance Asuka!

And THEN he heard the report that they suspected them of being in one of the few places where his authority had ZERO effect. The blasted Shinobashi Monastery, which holds just as much respect as Academia!

Leo took a calming breath as he closed his eyes, taking a break from looking over reports and statistics. For the last day and a half, he had been looking for a way to gain access to the Monastery WITHOUT provoking a major incident. But the information that his analysts and field agents kept telling him how it was next to impossible to do anything without creating a major upheaval that would have his PR crew in a riot!

Sighing, he looked over to the keyboard that he used in order to call in his 'Specialists'. The agents that were the most loyal, and the most effective at performing the tasks he gives them. The best of which, wielding a particular dragon that always had him on edge, no matter how often he sent him out.

Resolving himself, he moved to call forth whatever agents were available, only to be interrupted by a call from one of his monitoring stations. "Professor, we've picked up dimensional energy access from unauthorized disks."

Leo blinked. He remembered hearing that one of their disks was seen in the possession of the rescuer by Diana, and had one of his teams monitor for any outgoing transmissions from this dimension. He then hung his head and held it in his hand. "Was it within the vicinity of the Shinobashi Monastery?"

"… Yes Professor."

"… Thank you." He then ended the call without another word as he held his head in both his hands and rubbed at his temples. 'Well. Good news, I don't need to worry about raiding the Monastery and ruining my image. But…' He then picked up the coffee mug he was drinking from (and was still half full) and threw it at one of the pillars that lined the room! "But now I've LOST HER!"

He then angrily clenched his fist before he brought up the one image he had of the intruder, showing an individual leaving one of the relaxation areas in a white shirt, with blue hair. It only had the back of his head, so he didn't have a face. And the disk he used while in Academia never gave his identity because it was a stolen disk.

Leo stared at the image with hatred. "I will find you, and where you took her. I WILL get her back, and I will make sure you PAY for your interference."

* * *

As Takumi came out of the dimensional warp, he was unsurprised to feel a headache similar to before and to once again find himself on the ground, but was wondering about the weight on top of him. As well as, the strange feeling in his lips. Opening his eyes a little so as to see what was going on, they then shot open at the (admittedly pretty) bright violet eyes staring into his own in shock.

Face heating up at what was happening, both he and Ruri shot away from each other (disks still connected by the wires) and refused to look at each other for a few minutes, neither saying a single word, each trying to process exactly what just happened.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… Your brother never learns of this, our we could both wind up in major trouble."

"… Agreed."

"I'd also agree." They then turned with wide eyes and crimson faces as they looked at the smirking Ryuuji sitting against a nearby wall, his disk still connected to each of theirs. "After all, you both need to be able to do that on purpose before you deal with the overprotective big brother." He then laughed as they got even redder and Ruri seemed like she was about to pass out.

Takumi felt even more embarrassed when he heard familiar laughing, and saw Ki and Ao laughing at him from slightly above Ryuuji.

Takumi, still blushing, quickly disconnected the wires on his disk before standing up and looking around to see where they were, which looked like an empty concrete warehouse. "O-okay now, we should work on seeing where we are, and where everyone else is."

Ryuuji, still chuckling some, disconnected the rest of the wires and walked up beside Takumi, handing him the wires. "Sure. But you better keep these with you. Who knows, maybe the access system in your disk will help us out."

"True. Hey Ruri, you okay?" Takumi walked over to help Ruri up, who was still fighting back a blush. Refusing to look him in the eyes, she took his hand and let him pull her up. Takumi still feeling nervous, looked around and saw a door.

Going over, he found that it wasn't locked and opened it up. Looking outside, he then froze all motion and said nothing for a few moments, worrying Ryuuji and Ruri. Ryuuji walked over to him and stayed just inside the door. "Oi, Takumi. What's up?"

"Um… Highways."

Ryuuji raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

"Uh, well. You asked what was up. And unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, there appear to be highways IN THE SKY."

Ryuuji and Ruri each poked their head out the door to see what he was talking about, and each of them dropped their jaws as they saw the sky-high roads that were above them.

Takumi then rubbed his head in confusion. "Okay, first the cosplayer guarding a tower prison in Fusion, and now Sky-High Highways in Synchro. Do ANY of the other dimensions have a sense of sanity?!"

* * *

And that concludes the chapter I had trouble writing. How'd I do? I figured since the Academia disks were the first disks designed for dimensional travel and that I gave Takumi a system that would let him hack into Academia systems, that it might be a good means of getting out. Though that would still be difficult, hence the one-way-use of it this way. It was also why I had those scenes with the Leo Corp personal at the start of some of the previous chapters.

Also, more history from Ryuuji and Leo declares a vendetta! Also, what are the Trinity up to?

Anyway, as always, feel free to tell me what you think, and let me know if you have any ideas/questions/requests, and I will see about doing my next update as soon as I can.


	17. Making Friends

Hello everyone! Thank you for your patience as this one took some time to figure out. Anyway, reviews!

 **HunterHQ:** If and when either Yuto or Shun find out what happened, they will definitely want to have words with Takumi. Haha. Also, the Professor was about to call in Yuri so that he could get Ruri back before she disappeared, but now that he has no idea where she is he's just going to focus on tracking the girls down. Anyway, thanks for the feedback!

 **JaneValentine007:** Haha, glad you enjoy it. I'll admit, I didn't originally plan on any romance going on, but one of my first followers presented a case for the one that is happening and my mind just began to flow with ideas from there. Hope you like this update as much as you like all my others.

 **FurySong:** Truer words were never spoken, and I hope you like this chapter as well. Also…  
Takumi: *shivers run down spine* "Woah, what was that? It felt like someone might have promised me unimaginable pain!" Haha

 **acekazam22:** I will try not to disappoint!

 **Guest:** He didn't do much, but it did matter a lot to Leo. Also, he's not exactly gunning for Takumi, but more like put him up on the watch list for all of Academia's soldiers to take him down on sight. Still, he's going to have a bit of a hard time if anyone from Academia finds him.

 **FanficCrossoverMan15:** Glad you like my story so much! My favorite kinds of characters are ones who are able to remain true to themselves no matter the obstacle, so I tried to reflect that in Takumi. Also glad you're enjoying the OC/Ruri bits seeing as I never planned on it at first, so good to know I'm doing a good job of it. As for what happens now that they're in Synchro, I had an interesting idea for it that you are about to see. Hope you like it.

Now then, on to the part you guys were waiting for. Enjoy!

* * *

Takumi, Ruri, and Ryuuji looked around the area in curiosity, observing the run-down buildings, the sky-high highways, and the fancy structures that were atop massive metal towers in the late evening before night fell.

Ryuuji nodded his head as he processed everything. "Okay, alright. We're gonna need info or we will be beyond lost."

Takumi already started messing with his disk. "Well, it would help if my communication features aren't being jammed for some reason. That, plus the current conditions of the surrounding buildings do not fill me with confidence on this dimension be "friendly" per say. But I will set my disk to alert me whenever someone with a Standard disk is nearby." He then turned back to the others. "But maybe we can find a computer or something to help us figure out how this world works. Any kind should do."

"Well, considering the scenery, I'm not sure how long until we find such a thing."

Takumi let out a sigh at Ryuuji's comment. "Well unless you have a better idea, this is all we have at the moment. Heck, for all we know this is the only city in this dimension and saying we're from out of town would cause questions we wouldn't know how to answer."

Deciding he had a point, Ryuuji kept quiet as Takumi turned back to Ruri, who was looking around with a distant look on her face. Stopping, he placed a hand on her shoulder, which seemed to snap her out of whatever trance she was in. "Hey, you okay?"

"O-oh, uh, yeah. It's just…" She looked around the buildings around them, looking as if they were abandoned, some even missing parts of the structure. "… Everything is just a little… familiar…"

Takumi's eyes shot open, thinking back to the images he saw of what happened to the Xyz dimension, and how many buildings were reduced to rubble. He then pulled her into a hug to keep her mind off of it. She was surprised at first, but gave in when she realized what he was doing.

Ryuuji meanwhile was VERY tempted to use the moment to mess with them, but figured that it wasn't the time. Besides, he was a little busy making note of the territory markers in spray paint against the buildings and signs, suggesting the area belonged to someone.

"Hey guys." Takumi and Ruri separated and looked at him in confusion, as he pointed at one of the markers. "This keeps showing up in the area, so I recommend we keep moving before the owners of this mark show up."

Before anyone could even respond to that, multitudes of shady looking individuals came out from buildings, alleys, and Takumi could have sworn he saw one jump out of a dumpster. They all quickly surrounded them as Takumi and Ryuuji stood at either side of Ruri, who was nervous at the group's appearance.

"Well what do we have here?" "These guys look pretty well-off. Just check out their clothes." "Now what would Tops like you lot be doin' down here?" "Here to sneer and pity us Commons?" "Well now you get to know some of our, "hospitality"."

Ruri looked around in slight fear and confusion, not knowing what they were talking about, as Takumi and Ryuuji prepared for the surrounding group.

* * *

"AAARRGH!"

As the umpteenth hoodlum fell in defeat (they stopped trying to count after a point), Takumi and Ryuuji just smirked at the remaining gang members, whose confidence as broken at this point. Ryuuji then shared a glance with Takumi. "I really hope this isn't the best this place has to offer, or this place is screwed when Academia eventually gets here."

"That would be an understatement. I'm still holding back a little here. You?"

"I haven't bothered to fuse once yet since they showed up. What do you think?"

"Good point." Takumi then took a step forward. "Alright, this is taking too long. You guys have a leader right? Well bring them out already so we can get this over with!"

"Alright then. You asked for it." At the new voice, a portion of the gang members split apart, revealing a guy around a few years older than them, with purple spiked hair, black vest over maroon shirt, and some torn up jeans with combat boots. "I'm impressed though. To take down so many of my men and still be able to continue? Not that it'll help you against me."

"Yeah!" "Get him Boss!" "You punks are dealing with Boss Uryu now!"

Takumi just raised an eyebrow at the cheers of the rest of the lackeys. "Ooookay then. Just to be clear, we beat you, you leave us alone?"

"Something like that."

"Why does that not fill me with confidence? Oh well. Let's get to it."

Ryuuji stepped back to Ruri's side. "If you want first crack at him, go ahead. Keep in mind though that if you lose, I'll be thinking less of you."

"Hahaha, thanks for the motivation. Ruri, you stay with Ryuuji. I don't exactly trust these guys, so be careful."

She nodded at him. "You too."

After flashing her a grin, he turned back to the gang leader and they both readied their disks.

DUEL!

Uryu: 4000

vs

Takumi: 4000

"I'll go first. I summon UFO Turtle in defense mode." Appearing was a sci-fi looking machine, from which a green turtle head poked out slightly, glaring at Takumi. "I place 2 cards face-down and end my turn. Your turn kid."

"Fine with me. Draw. I summon Mist Valley Soldier!" A wined soldier then appeared in blue clothing, wielding a kukri-type weapon in each hand.

"Attack that turtle!" He then swiftly moved forward to the turtle as it ducked its head completely inside. Soldier then swung both of his weapons into the top of the disk, carving through it like butter. The resulting explosion pushed Soldier back in front of Takumi as a wave of heat surged over him.

Takumi: 4000 – 3500

Both Ruri and Ryuuji widen their eyes in shock. "Hey, what's going on?!" "Why did his life points decrease?!"

As Takumi recovered from the heat, he looked up at the sound of obnoxious laughter. "Hahaha! That's what happens when you play with fire! Or in this case, my Backfire trap card!" Uryu then indicated the trap that was now face-up in front of him. "Thanks to this, if you destroy any of my FIRE monsters, then you take 500 points of damage! And that's not all! Due to the effect of my UFO Turtle, I can now Special Summon any FIRE monster in my deck with 1500 or less ATK points! I call forth, my Jurrac Brachis!"

Appearing was a small purple and red brontosaurus-style dinosaur. Wasn't very tough in terms of attack power, but it was on fire.

Takumi whistled at the monster's appearance. "Wow. Nice looking monster. Not very tough, but definitely looks cool. Or, wait, should I be saying hot?" Ryuuji face-palmed as Ruri just sweat-dropped with a nervous laugh. "Anyway. I play a face-down of my own and end my turn."

"I draw!" Uryu looked at the card he drew and smirked. "I activate the spell card Painful Choice! I now pull 5 cards from my deck and reveal them." Five monster cards appeared before him. "Now, you get to choose 1 card among them to go to my hand. The rest go to the graveyard."

"Huh. Interesting. Let's see…"

Ki choose that moment to land on Takumi's shoulder. "For him to be willing to sacrifice so many monsters, he must have a plan of some sort. Be ready for anything."

"Already on that pal." After Takumi whispered back to Ki, he focused back on the cards he had to work with. There was a level 6 that looked like it had flame throwers on its back, another was a level 7 tht had a large fin-like shape made of flame on its back, one was level 4 and looked like a miss-mash of different dino-skeletons, the fourth was another level 4 looked like a young Triceratops with a flame in the back, and the last was yet another level 4 that resembled a red and yellow Velociraptor.

'None of those card bode well to me. Each of them seems like a threat. But for now…' "I select the last card." As Uryu added the cards to his hand and graveyard, Takumi couldn't help but feel worried about the look on his face.

"There. Now that that's out of the way, let's keep this going. I now summon the card you added to my hand, Jurrac Velo!" The dino appeared standing upright, with small flames coming from the back of its front claws. "Now for the main event. I now tune my level 4 Velo with my level 3 tuner Brachis!

 _Fierce giant of the primeval flames! Stir from your slumber, and hunt with savage fury! Synchro Summon! Roar, level 7! Jurrac Giganato!"_

Appearing from the pillar of Synchro light was a massive blue bipedal dinosaur with a yellow head and flames coming off of the top of its head, giving off a powerful roar! "And if you think this is powerful, just wait! With Giganato's effect, every Jurrac monster I control gains 200 ATK for every Jurrac in my graveyard! I count Brachis, Velo, Protops, Spinos, and Herra!" Giganato's flames then grew even more intense as it released another roar!

2100 – 3100

Ryuuji watched the massive dinosaur critically, while Ruri looked about worriedly at the gang members around them. 'If Takumi losses this, what could happen?'

"Battle! Giganato! Devour that Soldier!" With another roar, Giganato charged at the monster from Mist Valley, who prepared themselves to fight back. Just as it was about to bite down on the monster, green flames burst out of the ground, causing Giganato to back off in surprise and Uryu to react in shock. "Huh!?"

Takumi couldn't help but smirk. "Sorry, but my friend here has different ideas. Because when my opponent declares an attack while he's in my hand, I can negate the attack and introduce you to him. Let's go, **Savior Phoenix of the Trinity!** "

The green flames then began to spiral, before it burst apart, revealing the new monster. It had an appearance similar to Sacred Phoenix of Nepthys, except it was about the same size as Soldier, silver, and had green flames coming out from its wings and the back of its head.

 **Savior Phoenix of the Trinity: Winged Beast/FIRE/level4**

 **ATK: 0 DEF: 2100**

Uryu looked at the bird in surprise, before smirking himself. "Not bad, but that monster isn't that impressive."

"Not on his own, but just wait! When summoned this way, Savior Phoenix lets me immediately use monsters on my field for a Synchro Summon!"

"Wait WHAT?! But it's still my turn!"

"Doesn't matter to him, right Phoenix?" Said monster gave out a shriek and let its flames spread around itself and Soldier. "Time to show you what a real powerhouse looks like! I now tune my level 4 Phoenix to my level 4 Soldier!" Soldier then turned into four rings as Phoenix flew through becoming 4 stars.

" _Wielding the speed of lightning and the power of thunder! Gather the storm clouds, and strike down all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Descend from the skies, as the symbol of my courage! Level 8! Strength of the Trinity, Ki-Rai!"_

Appearing with the crack of lightning, Ki gave out a powerful cry that sent out a shockwave. He then went to glare at the dinosaur before him. "Let's show them who the superior Synchro is! I won't lose to some overgrown lizard!"

Takumi smirked at Ki's attitude. "You got it pal. Ki's effect activates! When Synchro Summoned, you take damage equal to 400x his Synchro materials. And when you take damage from a card effect, Ki gets stronger for every point lost! Static Discharge!"

Ki then began to charge up electricity, making all of the gang members a little nervous from what was about to happen. But just when he was about to release the energy, black chains burst free from the ground and bound him, causing him to cry out in shock! "GAAARGH! WHAT IN THE NAME OF RA!?"

Takumi looked at Ki in shock. "Ki! What's happening?!"

"I can answer that." Takumi looked at Uryu, who had a very smug look on his face. "Once you brought out that bird, I played my other facedown. Fiendish Chain! Not only does this negate your monster's effects, but now it can't attack either! Good luck making use of him now!"

Takumi glared at Uryu. "Alright, you might actually have a bit of skill. Which is more than I can say for your friends here."

"Heh. How else am I to keep everyone in line if they don't listen? Now then. During my Main Phase 2, I can activate **Fossil Research Study**. For every dinosaur-type monster sent from my field to the graveyard this turn, I get to draw a card." He then drew 2 cards and smirked. "I activate the spell, **Inferno Resurgence**. I now send another Jurrac Herra from my deck to the graveyard to revive my Spinos!" The level 7 Takumi saw earlier came out from the ground in a burst of flames and with a roar of its own. "And now, Giganato's effect will power it up!"

2600 – 3600

"Not only that, but the second effect of my spell now deals damage to you equal to the combined levels of the Herra I sent and the Spinos I summoned times 200! Burn!" 13 fireballs then took shape and flew at Takumi, striking around him and releasing more blasts of heat!

Takumi: 3500 - 900

"HAHAHA! Now you really are in trouble. You'd best surrender now if you know what's good for you kid."

"Okay seriously, what's with calling me "kid" so much. I get it, you're older. So wha-"

"AAAH!"

"Gargh!"

Takumi turned around at the commotion and looked in shock, as he saw Ryuuji standing over a collapsed punk who wasn't there before, and him and Ruri surrounded by a small number of gang members. "Ruri! Ryuuji! What happened!"

Ryuuji didn't even look at him, keeping an eye on the gang, as he kept a frightened Ruri behind him. "These guys tried to make a grab for Ruri. I didn't let them."

"What?!" Takumi's eyes widened at that, before he turned in anger to the smirking Uryu. "Hey! Call them off! We're in the middle of a duel here!"

Uryu only smirked bigger. "So?"

"SO?!"

"It hasn't interfered with the duel. Just try not to think about it. It isn't like something will happen the longer this goes on, right?" By the end of that statement, he had a malicious grin on his face.

Takumi clenched his fists in anger. "You bastard!"

"You little COWARD!" Ki began to thrash around in his chains and lightning sparked down them, trying to escape and give a piece of his mind to Uryu personally! As he and Takumi continued to feel more and more angry, a corner of his pendant and a card in his deck began to glow, as Takumi felt the presence of an unstoppable and unrelenting force washing over him, begging to be unleashed.

"MY TURN! DRAW! I now activate the second effect of my Savior Phoenix! If my opponent controls more monsters than I do, I can revive this card in my graveyard and then draw a card for every monster you control -1!" As Phoenix burst free of the ground in green fire, Takumi drew a single card from the deck. "Just what I needed. I now summon my Necro Wing, and with his effect revive my Mist Valley Soldier!" As Takumi's monsters appeared on the field, Ki only continued to thrash and spark even more strongly, setting everyone in the area on edge with anxiety. Even Ryuuji and Ruri didn't know what was about to happen.

As Takumi stared down Uryu, the gang leader flinched slightly at the look in his eyes, swearing that he thought he could see lightning dance across them for a moment. "Now to show you how much of a coward you are. I now tune my level 8 Ki-Rai to my level 2 Necro Wing!"

"Wait what!?" Uryu and his gang couldn't believe what they just heard, now figuring out how much they were unprepared for the person before them.

Ryuuji and Ruri meanwhile were surprised at Takumi's move, watching in awe as Ki finally burst free of the trap's chains and flew up with Necro Wing. As the tuner monster became Synchro rings, everyone was surprised to see that they weren't the usual techno-styled green, but 2 rings of pure electricity! As Ki shot through the first ring, his entire form was bathed in bright lightning, hiding his full form from view. As he passed through the second one, he shot straight up into the sky with a sonic boom!

As he shot higher and higher, dark clouds began to form in the night sky as thunder echoed.

* * *

Yuya and Crow were having dinner with the kids while Sawatari and Serena were out yet again trying to find either Yuzu and/or Reiji. Crow had saved them the day before when Security had tried to arrest them and told them how things worked in the City. He was just having idle chatter with Crow when…

*BOOOOOM*

The shockwave was strong enough to rattle some of the items throughout the house, frightening the kids and getting Yuya and Crow to jump up in shock. Yuya looked around in slight panic. "What was THAT!?"

"Dunno, but it sure sounded big." After Crow told the kids to hide under the table and to stay put, they both ran outside to see Serena and Sawatari had just gotten back, and were looking up in the sky. Looking up themselves, they were shocked to see what looked like a massive storm about to hit the City from out of nowhere!

"You gotta be kidding me! The weather reports never said anything about this!" They could only watch in shock as the rain began to fall, quickly coming down in vast quantity!

"What's that?" At Serena's comment, each of them tried to see where she was looking, and saw a large shadow within the clouds, noticeable only when lightning danced across the clouds. All they could make out was a massive humanoid shape.

* * *

Roger was going over the most recent reports of where the most recent fugitives were seen, and was just about to determine an area to check, when a shockwave hit the building and caused a few of the pieces on his chess board to fall over. At the same time, alert messages appeared throughout the screens of the control room as the operators worked to understand what was happening.

Furrowing his brow at the unexpected event, he addressed his subordinates. "What was that?"

"Sir, reports indicate a Solid Vision System just created a powerful shockwave of unprecedented levels. Not only that sir, but the same phenomenon is creating a storm in the City!"

"What? Give me a visual." As the main screen showed an outside view, Roger's eyes widened in shock at the scope of the storm. The amount of the lightning and the powerful bellows of thunder were one thing.

But this thing stretched across at least 80% of the City!

"Trace the origin now! I want to know who is responsible for this and for them to be apprehended immediately!"

* * *

Elsewhere, a figure in a white riding suit with green accents and matching helmet that covered their face looked up at the storm above them, wondering what was happening. They then held a hand to the side of their helmet and spoke in a masked voice. "Think this may have something to do with what you picked up before?"

A computerized voice responded back. "Well, the point of origin is pretty close to the most recent discrepancy, so odds are that whatever is going on over there is definitely related."

"Alright. Get the others to meet me on the way over. We need some answers."

* * *

Uryu and his gang looked about frightened at the intensity of the storm manifesting above them, as Ryuuji looked about in shock at the scale of the storm Takumi just created. 'Not once, have I ever seen a Solid vision create something THIS big.'

As the lightning danced, the thunder boomed, and rain poured down with intense enough strength to make the flames of the Jurrac start to waver, Takumi looked completely unaffected by the intense weather as he continued to glare at Uryu from between his Phoenix and Soldier. He then raised his hand straight up, as he completed the summon at the top of his lungs.

" _Endless storm that knows not mercy! With your overwhelming might and authority, shape the field of battle and remove the opposition! Punish all before you, to protect what you hold dear! SYNCHRO SUMMON! Strike down from the Heavens, as the embodiment of my unstoppable courage! Level 10!_ _ **Relentless Strength of the Trinity, NEO-KI-RAI!**_ _"_

At that, a deafening cry erupted from the clouds just before an enormous bolt of lightning shot down from the clouds and struck behind Takumi. When everyone recovered from the blinding flash and the deafening impact, they were struck speechless at the figure that now stood among them.

Ki was now an extra half bigger, and possessing a bipedal form like his siblings. Though significantly more muscled. The talons on his hands and feet were a razor-sharp Topaz like his previous form, and he wore breeches of a similar style to the Trinity Pendulum cards. His torso was bare of any clothing or armor, revealing his large, feathered chest. His wings were of a similar style to the ones of his siblings' Neo forms, also styled in Topaz. Yellow hair trailed down from his head to rest between the base of his wings, somewhat more voluminous with electricity constantly dancing down it. And When Ki opened his eyes, yellow energy poured out and trailed to the sides of his head, before he gave out another deafening cry of dominance.

"NOW TO MAKE YOU EXTINCT!"

 **Relentless Strength of the Trinity, Neo-Ki-Rai: Synchro/Winged Beast/Wind/lvl10**

 **ATK: 3600 DEF: 2800**

The majority of the gang members gave shouts of fright, while the more weak-willed ones passed out on the spot, all of them forgetting about going after Ruri or Ryuuji. Meanwhile, the 2 in question were staring in shock that Takumi's Synchro could become so powerful, neither having the ability to comment due to a lack of appropriate words.

Uryu meanwhile was absolutely terrified of the giant before him. "O-okay, that thing is big." (Bit of an understatement since it DWARFS each of his Jurracs.) "B-but that thing alone can't finish me!"

Takumi didn't even react to Uryu's desperate call as he calmly responded over the storm. "When Synchro Summoned, you cannot activate any other cards or effects during the turn. Also, due to Neo Ki's effect, other monsters I control cannot attack, and he can attack every monster you control once each."

"WHAT?! B-but, that m-m-means…"

"THAT MEANS NONE OF YOU ARE SAFE!" As Neo-Ki glared down the dinos, they each backed up, looks of fear in each of their faces, but none as big as that of their master.

"But that wouldn't be enough either, would it?" Uryu turned his attention away from the titanic bird to its owner. "But there is another trick he has. Neo-Ki-Rai! Debilitating Surge!" At Takumi's call, Ki gave another loud cry with arms stretched out, as lightning danced across him and gathered in his wings. "Once per turn, he can decrease the ATK or DEF of a monster controlled by my opponent by 100x the combined levels and ranks of every Winged Beast I control. Savior Phoenix and Soldier are 4 each, and Neo-Ki is 10. Also, you take damage equal to have of what was lost. KI! BLAST HIS GIGANATO!"

"KNOW YOUR PLACE YOU MEASLY LITTLE GECKO!" As Ki absorbed electricity that formed around and branched off of Takumi's other monsters, he then fired that electricity at the Synchro monster, causing it to cry out in pain and for some of it to branch off and hit Uryu.

"AAARGH!"

Giganato: 1800 – 0

Uryu: 4000 – 3100

Ryuuji looked on in surprise. "Wait, why did he hit Giganato's DEF? If he did ATK then wouldn't he have been able to do more damage?"

He didn't wait long for an answer as Ki seemed to keep firing energy at Giganato, as it then branched off onto Spinos! Uryu watched his dinos in shock at the development, terrified at what was happening, before Takumi spoke up calmly. "When Neo-Ki reduces a score to 0 with his effect, I can destroy that monster and every other monster you control with the same type!" Neo-Ki the brought his still outstretched arms together in a clapping motion, sending out a shockwave that shattered nearby windows, obliterating both of Uryu's monsters and senging him flying back on his behind!

"Gargh!" When he looked up, he paled significantly at the behemoth that now stood just in front of him, holding up an arm that was wreathed in lightning, as he realized the giant still hadn't attacked! "U-uh hey now, no n-need to do anything ha-hasty!"

Takumi could only stare at him. "Really? In that case, tell me what we learned today."

At the look, Uryu could notice a wet feeling that DIDN'T come from the rain and immediately went to answer him. "D-d-don't ambush people wandering around the commons! Maintain duel etiquette at all times! Don't make other people angry during a duel!"

Takumi closed his eyes for a moment, before he put a kind smile on his face. "Good. Now that you appear to have learned your lesson…" Uryu felt a shred of hope and let out a breath of relief at being spared.

"… I just need to make sure you don't forget it." The hope was then shredded as Takumi returned to glaring at him and Neo-Ki raised his arm and held his fist high. "NEO-KI-RAI! END THIS WITH STORM BREAKER!"

"JUST TRY AND STOP ME!" He then fully enveloped his arm in lightning and brought it swinging down towards a panicking Uryu, the resulting impact sending out a shockwave that everyone watching had to struggle to brace themselves against while simultaneously sending out a dust cloud across the entire block!

After a few moments, Ryuuji and Ruri opened their eyes slightly, waiting for the dust to settle. When it did, they couldn't believe their eyes.

In the middle of the clearing, there was a massive indent shaped similarly to Neo-Ki's fist that was about 2 feet deep! Cracks spread out from the impact site up until they either ran into a building or went about 20 ft. Every glass window that had been in the area before was now completely bare, leaving only a square hole in the wall.

And just inches past the crater, within which some of the rain had begun to pool into, Uryu was still on his butt, completely frozen with a look of pure terror still on his face, as his gaze was fixed on Takumi and the behemoth now standing behind him, arm still sparking slightly.

Takumi then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them with a smirk. "So. You guys gonna behave from now on?"

Uryu blinked once, then fell back and passed out.

Uryu: 3100 – 0

Winner: Takumi

"I sure hope that was a yes." As Takumi's monsters faded away, he then rushed over to Ruri and Ryuuji. "You guys okay?"

They each just blinked, before Ruri responded. "Uh, yeah. But what about you?"

Takumi looked back at the damage that the duel caused and chuckled nervously. "Yeah, sorry about that. I just didn't like the way he was acting, so "something" came over me." Takumi ended the sentence by flashing a glare at the spirit of Ki as his siblings glared at him themselves.

"Oh come on! You know how I get around cowards like that!"

' _That doesn't mean you should make me nearly cripple that guy! I barely got in control of myself in time!'_

"I get it, I get it! I'm sorr- wait, what did you just say?" The Trinity each looked at Takumi, as he realized what just happened.

' _Wait, can you guys hear me like this?'_

They each smirked at that, as Ao flew up in his face. "We can! We can hear you! You can talk to us mentally now!"

Takumi blinked at that, while keeping his face neutral so as not to alert his friends. ' _Oh. Wow. Didn't expect that to just happen. Anyway.'_ He then turned his attention back to his friends. "Anyway, now that that mess is over with, we should probably find somewhere to get out of the rain."

Ruri nodded while Ryuuji snapped his head up to look at the clouds. "Hang on…"

"Hm? What's wrong?"

Ryuuji then looked Takumi in the eyes. "This storm came to be from your card right? So it's Real Solid Vision then?" Not sure what he was getting at, Takumi nodded. "So if the duel ended… Why is it still here?"

Takumi blinked, then looked up at the clouds. Ryuuji was right. The storm was still going on, even if it was a little less intense than before. "Uhhh… Good question."

At that, Ao and Aka went back to berating their sibling. "Now look what you did! You caused the solid vision system to create a REAL storm!" "It won't just dissipate like other Solid Vision constructs now! It will be hours before it dies down!"

"ALRIGHT I'M SORRY ALREADY! Besides, what's wrong with a little rain! This isn't THAT bad!"

At that moment, flashing green lights shined through the rain as several police cars drove in from each side of the road, officers hopping out 3 per car with the driver staying put and contacting HQ. "Where is the one who hijacked the Solid Vision systems to create this storm?! They will be apprehended immediately!"

Takumi, Ruri, and Ryuuji stared at the officers, while the Trinity watched from above them. Ki then felt the cold glare of Ao and the heated gaze of Aka, as well as picked up on the rather specific words Takumi was sending him. "… Okay, yeah, this is on me."

One of the cops got a good look at Ruri's face and thought it seemed familiar. Pulling out a datapad, he flipped through the wanted list and found an image of a girl with the same face but different hair and clothes. "Hey, the girl! She's one of the fugitives from the last couple of days!"

Takumi, Ryuuji and Ruri each blinked, before Takumi and Ryuuji looked at her in confusion, with her not much better. Takumi then turned to the officer in question with his hands up. "Uh, not sure what you're talking about pal, but you got the wrong girl."

"It's no mistake. Her face is a perfect match! So unless she has a clone or a doppelganger, she is guilty!"

Takumi opened his mouth to argue, then realized something. 'Wait a minute, doppelganger? Oh come on, what are these guys DOING!?' "Ah, well… Look I'm sure there that this can be explained away."

Another cop then stepped forward. "And you will be. In interrogation."

"Umm, uh…" He then turned to Ryuuji. "You got any ideas here?"

Ryuuji looked around at their predicament. "There are currently 2 options that give us a chance of us not being arrested."

"And they are?"

Ryuuji raised his disk and activated it, facing the officers behind them. "Fight or flight."

"Oi, oi, seriously?"

At Ryuuji's motion, the cops he was facing activated their disks, out numbering him by about 10 to 1, as well as getting some of the cops in the front to activate their disks. Takumi turned back to the cops in front and activated his own disk, making sure that Ruri was between him and Ryuuji. "Awww maaan! Here for a few hours and we're already going against the local law! I'm really missing home right now…"

They all watched in anticipation, as the small horde of cops closed the circle ever-tighter. Just before either side could make a move, engines could be heard in the distance. Neither side knowing what was going on, everyone looked around, trying to discern the source of the sound. A strong wind then blew through, as they heard a battle cry that cut through the rain.

" _Rider of the those who command the skies! Lead the charge, and shatter the mighty! Synchro Summon!"_ A beam of light shot out, revealing a large orange dragon with a winged figure atop it. " _Advance! Dragunity Knight, Vajrayana!"_ The dragon rider then maneuvered its mount and scattered the officers about, before Takumi and his friends saw 3 motorized bikes moving in their direction from behind the rear cops.

The lead bike was white with neon green accents, the bike on their left was black with dark purple accents, and the one on their right was a rustic red. Each bike had a rider with a similarly styled suit and helmets, which hid their faces.

As each bike moved by them, each of them reached out and grabbed them by their arms, giving them just enough time to think 'Eh?', before they were then pulled up behind the riders. Before they knew it, they were speeding away from the officers.

As he recovered, Takumi looked around at where everyone was. He was with the lead rider, while Ruri was with the rustic rider and holding on in fright, and Ryuuji the black one. Takumi then turned to the person he was riding with. "Hey, wait! Who are you?! Why did you help us?!"

The rider then turned back and spoke with a deep masked voice. "We have some questions for you, but we'll deal with the introductions later. Right now, we should make sure they can't catch up to us!"

Takumi raised an eyebrow, before turning at the sound of sirens. He then admitted that those questions could come AFTER escaping the cop cars and bikes behind them.

The lead rider then opened a coms link on his bike. "Overwatch. How's our window?"

A computerized voice answered them. "I have everything set up. All you need to do is get to the point I designate."

The black rider spoke next in a voice that echoed just enough to be able to understand, but not discern the voice. "You better have things setup right."

"Oh come on Phantom, it was ONE TIME!"

"Yeah, and then I had to outrun Security ON FOOT with a DAMAGED disk and replace a BUSTED D-wheel!"

The other riders laughed at the bickering as red interjected in another deep voice. "Oh give it up Phantom, we're going with her plan."

"Fine, fine. You're lucky Ronin is here this time Overwatch."

"Thanks Ronin. Oh hey! Turn here."

"Hold on!" The lead rider then made a sharp turn where Overwatch directed, Ronin and Phantom right behind. Security rounded the corner after a few more seconds, but only saw a fork in the road ahead. They then split into 2 groups and went in each direction. After a few moments, the piles of junk they passed by without a thought then turned back into the three riders (plus passengers) as they turned around and sped back the way they came.

Phantom then let out a holler as they went. "Yeah! Thanks Overwatch!"

"Oh, so you DO have manners?"

"Well excuse me for being paranoid after THAT time."

"Urgh! So I mixed up the activation cards! Big deal! You got out of that fine didn't you?!"

"That isn't the point here!" Ronin and the leader laughed some at the argument, while Takumi and the rest tried to process what just happened.

Ryuuji decided to tap Phantom on the shoulder, stopping the argument. "Sorry to interrupt, but what just happened back there?"

Phantom seemed to look at him in thought, before responding in the masked voice. "What? The slip we gave to Security? Well, Overwatch is a tech expert, and rigged our D-wheels to a system that they interact with through specific cards to trigger certain programs."

"For example," They all turned to Ronin as they picked up. "Opti-camouflage Armor is something we use when we need to disappear, taking advantage of the Solid Vision system to hide our position. Or, as Phantom has personally experienced," Phantom grumbled a little as they brought it up. "the Malfunction card, to interfere with and break down systems. Though we normally only use it against other systems than our own. Now then, Zephyr has a few questions for you lot, so I hope you don't mind answering on the way."

The lead rider then turned their head in Takumi's direction. "Alright, question 1. Who are you, and do you have anything to do with the strange energy fluctuations that have been appearing over the last few days?"

Takumi furrowed his brow. "Uh, come again? What energy fluctuations?"

Zephyr turned their eyes back to the road. "I mean the strange energy readings that came from the approximate area you lot were in. It was a match to other fluctuations from the last few days. Our most recent reading was traced to your disks a few hours ago. Not to mention you somehow caused a storm that wasn't supposed to be here."

Takumi flinched at the mention of the storm that continued to pelt rain on them. "Yeah, I didn't really expect that myself. Wait, a few hours ago?" 'That was when we arrived in this dimension...'

Phantom turned their head to him. "So you DO know what we're talking about. Spill it. What are you up to?"

Takumi shared a look with Ryuuji and Ruri, each of them feeling conflicted about telling them in case they didn't believe the truth.

"Um, guys?" Everyone immediately turned their attention to Overwatch, who's voice spoke through each of their bikes with slight anxiety. "You might want to bring them back to the hideout."

The riders looked at each other in question, before Zephyr responded. "Uh, why is that?"

"Oh, well, I started hacking their disks after we gave Security the slip."

"What?!" Eyes wide, Takumi checked his disk and saw that he left it on, but some of the files he had copied from the Academia servers were moving across the display. "How did you connect to my disk?!"

"Please. You're riding on D-wheels that I modified and programmed to work with my one-of-a-kind access module, and I traced the origin of an energy spike that created the storm you all are going through right now-by the way, impressive-straight to your disk. Do you really think Wi-Fi hacking would be a stretch of my abilities?"

"Anyway," As Takumi was dumbstruck at the retort, Zephyr spoke up. "Why did you want us to bring them to the hideout?"

"Oh, right, yeah. Well, let's just say I found some "interesting" data on their disk that suggests something big. And when I mean "big", I mean "nigh-apocalyptic". Oh, and don't bother blindfolding them if you don't trust them, they appear to literally know nothing of how this world works."

After sharing some looks, the riders put their "D-wheels" as they called them, into top gear and wove through the maze-like streets that were soon beginning to leave Takumi dizzy. After a while, they arrived at a junkyard with a rundown warehouse in it, the door automatically opening for them.

As the door began to close behind them, Takumi, Ryuuji and Ruri looked around the empty warehouse, lit only by the lights of the D-wheels. "So… Please tell me there's more to this than an empty warehouse."

Phantom turned back to Ryuuji and Takumi could swear he could hear the smirk in his voice. "Oh, just wait." As the door finally closed, a part of the floor shifted and then split apart to reveal a wide metal hallway that slanted down for a ways and was lit every so often. As the visitors looked at it in shock, the riders sped on down as it the entrance closed off.

Zephyr turned his head back to Takumi. "Impressed yet? We made our hideout in what looks like an abandoned research facility of some sort." He then turned back to the tunnel. "All the data that they may have gathered was long removed, but we were able to salvage some abandoned equipment and map out the tunnels they probably used for transporting equipment without attracting attention. Makes it more difficult for Security to pin us down if they can't figure out where we are."

"Wow. But wait, wouldn't they know about things like this?"

"Ha, not as long as Overwatch remains as good as they are. Heck, we only found out about it after we were being dumb in an abandoned subway tunnel and wound up finding a door after a part of the wall fell down. A little digging and a bit of Overwatch's genius tech skills and we were in. After we made a claim to it, they spent some time hacking (with us providing the manual labor in fixing it up and setting up equipment) and found the original blueprints. After a quick download, all other copies were quickly destroyed. So now, the only ones who know about this place are us, and the people we choose to bring down here. Though they are typically blindfolded just in case."

Takumi closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. "Sure, why not? Not like it's any crazier than anything else I've heard in the last month."

Ronin glanced at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"… Well… It's a bit of a long story. One that even I have a hard time believing, despite having lived through it!"

Phantom whistled (which sounded freaky with the echo effect). "Now THAT sounds like an interesting story. Should we prep some popcorn or something?"

Everyone then turned their gaze to Phantom, Zephyr and Ronin glaring at him through their helmets. Phantom shrugged at. "What? Oh come on it couldn't be that bad of a tale can it?"

"Uh, Phantom?" He turned to the com channel at Overwatch's voice. "You may want to revise that statement."

"… Wait, it's really that bad?"

"You have nooo idea…"

* * *

And that's all this time! I would have gone a little further, but the next bit was likely to go on for a little while and I wanted to get this out. So, what do you all think?

First off, the idea behind "Savior Phoenix of the Trinity" comes from reader aibcarrer2k. As a thank you for the idea, I promised that I would mention a bet they made with a friend. They are both currently trying to see who can reach 1000 followers on ig through any means. I'm not requesting anyone do this, but if you feel at all interested in helping them then their account is on ig.

As for the group of OCs you just met, I got the idea to make them some time back when I was looking through the 5d's series for inspiration on how I can make my story different. Who these guys are will be elaborated in the next chapter. That said, I hope you guys like them.

Now as always, I hope you guys like my story and to let me know what you guys think of it. See ya next time.

 **OC cards**

 **Savior Phoenix of the Trinity** : Winged Beast/FIRE/level4

ATK: 0 DEF: 2100

If this card is in your hand when an opponent declares and attack: negate the attack and special summon this card, then you can immediately use this card for a Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Summon. If your opponent controls more monsters than you do: You can special summon this card from the graveyard, then draw cards from your deck up to the number of monsters your opponent controls -1. You cannot activate this card's effects if you have a non-winged-beast-type monster in your graveyard.

 **Fossil Research Study;** Spell/normal

You can only activate this card during your Main Phase 2. Draw 1 card for every Dinosaur-type monster that was sent from the field to the graveyard this turn.

 **Inferno Resurgence;** Spell/normal

Target 1 FIRE monster in your graveyard, then send a FIRE monster with a lower level from your deck to the graveyard: Special Summon the target monster, then deal damage to your opponent equal to 200x the combined levels of both cards. The Summoned monster cannot attack on the turn it was summoned.

 **Relentless Strength of the Trinity, Neo-Ki-Rai** : Synchro/Winged Beast/Wind/lvl10

ATK: 3600 DEF: 2800

1 Winged Beast-type tuner + "Strength of the Trinity, Ki-Rai"

When this card is Synchro summoned successfully, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the start of the next turn. Other monsters you control cannot attack. This card cannot be destroyed in battle and can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. Other Winged Beast-type monsters you control cannot be targeted for an attack, and cannot be destroyed by card effects. Once per turn, you can reduce the ATK or DEF of 1 monster your opponent controls equal to the combined levels and Ranks of all Winged Beast-type monsters you control x100, then deal damage to your opponent equal to half the amount lost. Also, that monster cannot be destroyed in battle with this card and has its effects negated until the End Phase. Any monster who has their ATK or DEF reduced to 0 this way is destroyed, and when a monster is destroyed this way, you can also destroy any number of monsters your opponent controls that have the same type as the destroyed monster.


	18. Meeting some Misfits

I'm alive! Alright, to everyone who has patiently been waiting for my next update, I am terribly sorry for how long this took to get out. I recently got a new work schedule so I lost a good deal of my free time. Not to mention a combination of writer's block and frequently erasing parts of this chapter because I didn't feel satisfied with what I had written. But now, I finally have something I feel I can release.

Now onto reviews.

 **FurySong** : I honestly never played the Watchdogs series so I never even knew about Dedsec until you mentioned it. Pretty cool though.

 **HunterHQ** : Good to know you like it!

 **FanficCrossoverMan** : Glad you seem to think so. I didn't want to wait too long to use him since I already used Neo Ao and Aka, so thanks for letting me know I did it well. And I know, the setup may be a little weird, but I had trouble trying to think of a way for him to simply rejoin the others with how I had set things up so far, so I figured I may as well do something different. Also, part of the reason I gave them the code-names was because I was having trouble coming up with their real names at the time. As for the camo-tech, it's not that different from when characters used cards in solid vision for a getaway in the canon. Still, glad you seem to like my chapter.

 **Aibcareer2k** : Glad you like the chapter and hope I was able to help some. And if you have more ideas, then go ahead and tell me. All ideas are welcome.

 **Guest** : Glad you like my story. I honestly hadn't given much thought to bringing in more 5ds characters yet, but it has come to mind on occasion. If I do, I hope I do them justice.

 **ARSLOTHES** : Much appreciated, and wish granted!

Now then, I hope you all like what I have this time. Please enjoy.

* * *

As they sped out of the hallway, they came out into a kind of garage where several other D-wheels were parked, looking somewhat unused. They got off and the riders took off their helmets. Phantom had short white hair and green eyes, Ronin turned out to be a girl with shoulder-length hair that matched her D-wheel with brown eyes, and Zephyr had green hair with a streak of silver of to the right with blue eyes.

Phantom mumbled. "I still don't think it could be that bad."

A female voice spoke over an intercom above the main door further into the complex. "Oh just shut up Seishi and hurry in with the others. Or don't and just leave. Either works for me."

"What was that!? Alright, now you're done for!" As the now named Seishi ran through the doors, Ronin and Zephyr just shook their heads with a smile.

Zephyr then turned to their visitors with a smile. "Sorry about that. In case you didn't notice, those two tend to bicker-or rather argue-a lot. Come on, we can start the introductions once we stop those 2 from destroying anything important."

Exchanging a look, the three of them followed their apparent hosts down the hall and towards the sound of fighting. As they walked into a large room, they heard the sound of rushing water and saw Phantom angrily chasing a smirking girl around the room.

Or rather, around the walkway that went around the edge of the large circular room, and above the large pool of water below them.

Looking around, they were coming from one of 4 halls out of the room, one of which being a pair of walkways that lead out over a pool of running water and down into the afore mentioned pool of water. Jutting up from the pool was a large metal pillar with a wide platform at the top connected to the walkway by 4 bridges extending from between each of the different hallways. Takumi guessed that the room itself had a radius of about 100ft, then the platform itself had a radius of about 40ft, with the walkways and bridges being about 10 feet wide. Arrayed round the edge of the platform were a number of different monitors set into groups divided by bridges, each group with a pair of keyboards in front of it. In the center there was a table with several old couches around it, with a chair on a single pole set into an indent in the floor that went in a circle around the couches and was just in front of the monitors. Several other machines of varying purpose were laid out strategically across the platform to be intermingled with the computers and not in the way of anything, some of which could be identified as either a fridge, or a microwave, and various other leisure items of varying age. Large wires could be seen branching out from exposed parts of the walls and ceiling and branching off to either another exposed part or into the platforms electronics.

As Takumi and his friends finished looking around the room in awe, Phantom and the girl completed another lap around the room while Zephyr and Ronin had already begun to cross one of the bridges. The girl had long orange hair with neon purple highlights, wearing black jeans with a purple tanktop and some black sneakers. As she ran by them, she glanced over and they could see violet eyes looking at them. She then gave them a smile and a hasty "Hi!" before she continued on her way with Phantom about 5 feet behind her.

Still feeling confused, they wandered onto the platform from the same bridge the other 2 took and saw Ronin sitting on one of the couches as Zephyr was looking at one of the monitors. Taking a look at what he was looking at, Takumi flinched as he noticed some of the Academia files were up.

Zephyr continued to look at the data with confusion as sounds from the ongoing chase continued, before he backed up and hollered in their direction. "Kiki, Seishi, not a good time right now! Could you two get over here already?" At that, the orangette and Phantom stopped, the girl giving a mock salute as Phantom (or rather Seishi) gave a look of frustration at him.

"Oh come on Zephyr we gotta keep up the code-names when in front of others!"

Zephyr face-palmed as Kiki lightly hit Seishi in the back of the head, getting Ronin to smirk at the way they were acting. She then looked at the visitors and gestured to the couches, silently asking if they wanted good seats to the debate about to happen.

With a smirk of his own, Takumi wasted no time sitting on one of the couches and watched as Zephyr's hand came down and he gave a deadpanned stare at Seishi. "Seishi, come on. We already agreed that we would use them if Security had a chance of overhearing us. I don't feel like using them in our own home. Heck, none of the rest of us wanted to do it at all but you wouldn't back down."

"Oh they're awesome and you all know it! Besides, what if they hack into our comms and heard our real names?"

Kiki turned to him with a deadpanned look of her own. "Then they STILL wouldn't know what we looked like, what we sound like, or where we lived. You were the only one who thought the code-names were necessary Mr. Comic Reader."

"Those are incredible pieces of literature and are filled with life lessons!"

"Even if they are originally aimed at children half your age?" Seishi was now fuming while Zephyr was smirking at him.

While this was going on, Takumi and Ronin had relaxed into the couches with Ruri standing behind Takumi and Ryuuji sitting on one of the armrests. Ruri had a small smile on her face, while the other three looked highly amused. Takumi leaned over and quietly asked Ronin "Please tell me you have popcorn or something."

Smirking, she responded in kind. "Not a common commodity for us, so we save it for when we find something awesome to watch off of the monitors."

"Shame. Would be perfect for a situation like this."

After another minute or two of bantering, Kiki and Seishi walked onto the platform (sticking their tongues out at each other when Zephyr wasn't looking) as the two groups turned to each other and Zephyr began the introductions. "So, I believe that it is polite to give a name before asking for one. Therefore, my name is Arashi. These 2 jokers you know as Phantom and Overwatch are Seishi and Kiki (respectively). And last but not least is Mei, who Seishi dubbed Ronin." As he introduced each of them, the corresponding individual gave a greeting of some sort.

Takumi nodded at them. "Nice to meet you. I'm Takumi, and this is Ruri and Ryuuji."

"Hello." "Hey."

Arashi nodded at that. "Okay, good. Now then, would you care to explain what I was just looking at?"

The trio shared a few looks before Takumi took a deep breath. "Well… It isn't really something easy to explain."

"You mean the Parallel World thing?" As everyone looked at Kiki in surprise she held a hand over to the monitor. "I mean, one of the first files I got access to was one about there apparently being 4 different worlds, one of which being this one."

Seishi raised his arms up and started to wave them. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up. Did you just say there were other worlds as if it were nothing? I would think that that would take a bit more freaking out when mentioned."

She shrugged in response. "Well, yeah, but then I saw some of the other files, making it the simplest thing I found."

Mei got up from her seat with a look of concern on her face. "What makes you think that?"

Kiki turned to Takumi. "How about they explain it since they actually CAN explain the craziness I was reading."

Not knowing how else to react, Takumi just let out a nervous laugh as their hosts fixed their gazes on him. "Well, uh… I guess I can try to explain it. Hope you guys have open minds."

* * *

Honestly, all things considered, he thought they were doing pretty well at hearing all this.

While Ruri moved to sit next to Takumi during the parts about the war, he and Ryuuji did their best to explain everything they knew to their new acquaintances, each of them having their own reaction.

Mei was still sitting and had her arms crossed with an unreadable expression on her face. Arashi was standing with a look of disbelief as he leaned against one of the couches. Kiki was sitting in the chair fixed into the platform and doing her own little impersonation of "the Thinker". And Seishi looked somewhere between skeptical and nervous.

"Oi, do you really think someone would just believe that kind of thing?"

"That depends." Seishi looked over to Ryuuji while he spoke. "Do you think that that is the kind of thing someone would just make up?"

As Seishi shut his mouth, not having a good argument, Kiki slid her seat across the platform through the indent in the ground until she was in front of the monitor with the most files on it. Hitting a few buttons, she quickly scanned through some of the documents until she came across a video. She then turned to Takumi's group. "Hey, what's this video file?"

Takumi shared a glance with Ryuuji before answering. "Well, I managed to gain access to Academia's servers at one point and copied down most of the files you see there. That video comes from a… progress report sent back during their attack on… Xyz."

Ruri snapped her head to Takumi at those words, not having heard anything about the video before. This did not go unnoticed by Kiki or the others. "Would you mind if I hit play?"

Meeting Ruri's eyes for a moment, Takumi thought about it. "… If that thing has audio, please mute it first. It isn't really… pleasant."

Arashi looked back and forth between them, noting the looks on their faces as Ryuuji looked down in something like shame and Ruri clenched her fists in something like fear or anger. "… Kiki, hold off for now."

She looked at him in confusion, before nodding. He then moved to sit down as he looked at the nervous Ruri. "… You're from Xyz I take it?"

Her eyes shot up to meet Arashi's, fear evident on her face. Before the fear could freeze her however, she felt a hand on her shoulder and calmed down some. Turning her head, she saw that Takumi was giving her a comforting smile while he had placed a hand on her shoulder.

Feeling a little better, she took a deep breath before looking back at Arashi. "… Our home was called Heartland. It was a beautiful place. Everyone dueled just to have fun, and all we needed was to be able to enjoy dueling. But then, without warning or reason…" She found it hard to speak after that and closed her eyes in pain while Takumi put his arm around her shoulders.

While the other 3 were shocked at the information, Arashi looked at her in sympathy. "Thank you for being honest. You must have had to go through a lot."

He then turned his attention to the other two. "Can I assume you two are also from Xyz?"

Ryuuji shook his head and answered for Takumi. "No, Takumi's native to Standard, the middle ground of the dimensions that holds all the summoning methods. Part of what makes him unpredictable."

"And you?" Ryuuji looked back at the ground at Mei's question.

"… The short version? I'm from the Fusion dimension and a traitor to Academia."

"What?!" Seishi's outburst caused both Ryuuji and Ruri to flinch, and motivated Kiki to smack him again. "Ow! Hey!"

"Calm down already loudmouth."

"How?! You did just hear the part where he's from a place that apparently started a war, right?!"

Kiki deadpanned at him. "Yes I did. I also heard the part where he said he was a traitor to them, which means he became their enemy."

Seishi blinked a couple of times, processing that. "… Oh yeah…" He then turned a grin over to Ryuuji and raised his hand in apology. "Sorry about that."

Ryuuji simply raised an eyebrow. "No problem?"

Mei, Kiki and Arashi chuckled a little. "Don't worry, he means well. He just doesn't always think things through."

Seishi then aimed an accusing finger at Kiki. "Hey, I take offense to that!"

Kiki just raised an eyebrow as she turned to their guests. "Note that he didn't deny it." That got each of them trying to hold in their laughter.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Hey Kiki, we still have soda?"

"Check the fridge."

Seishi got up and opened up the door to the nearby fridge, pulling out an aluminum can. "Aw man, last one. Any more in the cooler?"

She then turned to the monitor and hit a few buttons. "Hmm… Looks like that's the last one."

"Well crud. Think we can go shopping tomorrow Arashi?"

Arashi shrugged. "Don't see why not. Should probably make sure our "nice" clothes are good by then, but we'd just need to put together a list and for Kiki to setup the funds."

"I'll check what we're missing and running low on, figure out how much they'll cost, then pick out a "sponsor" for us to afford it all."

Takumi raised an eyebrow at that. "Sponsor?"

Each of them just stared at him, before a look of realization crossed their faces. As they then shared some looks between them, Arashi then looked straight at Takumi. "Um… how long have you been in this world so far?"

Takumi furrowed his brow with the others. "About a few hours, give-or-take. Why?"

Arashi then took a deep breath before answering. "Okay then. Let me start by letting you know the basics of this world as it is right now."

And so, Takumi, Ruri, and Ryuuji listened as Arashi explained how the society of this world revolved around winners and losers, the Tops and Commons. They listened as they heard that the Tops, who made up 1% of the population had control of 99% of the wealth, leaving the majority of Commons wondering when their next meal might come. And then they brought up what happened to those who tried to oppose this system…

At the end of the explanation, Ruri looked frightened, Ryuuji had his hand on his chin in thought, and Takumi had his fingers pressed against his temples with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Of course. Of course there would be a world as screwed up as this. First Academia and their self-righteousness, now these dumb Tops and their greed."

"Well at least they agree with us." Seishi then took another sip of his soda.

"Where does that leave you lot then?" He then froze at Ryuuji's question, who was staring at the group across from him. "You don't exactly strike me as these "Tops" you mentioned, but you don't exactly seem to be in dire straits. So where do you fit in with this?"

"A group of misfits." The trio turned to Arashi, whose eyes were focused on them while the rest had a faraway look in their eyes. "We are a group of misfits trying to change things for a brighter future, and maybe the only ones getting away with it for as long as we have been."

Takumi raised an eyebrow at that. "Getting away with what?" Arashi seemed almost reluctant to answer, but Mei answered for him.

"In a nutshell? Theft and occasionally sabotage."

Takumi's group widened their eyes in shock while she tried to explain. "Like you said, we aren't exactly wealthy. None of us had families, so we stuck together to survive. We eventually wandered into an old subway tunnel to look for food and other supplies, and somehow were lucky enough to find an entrance to this place. Once we figured out what we had found, we were able to have a place we felt was safe enough to call a home and settled down."

"That said, life was still rough." Seishi put down his soda as he picked up the story. "We were orphaned Commons, pups in what was practically a dog-eat-dog world. None of us liked the fact that we and many others were nearly desperate to find a reason to hope for tomorrow. Good thing for us that Kiki here was able to make sense of most of the things we had found, and figured out what we would be able to do with it."

Kiki shyly rubbed the back of her head at that. "I've always had a head for tech and software. We never found anything too complex before, but we were able to scavenge an old programming book that I thought was fascinating. I never thought it would have been as useful as it was when we found this place. That said, we still needed food and such. So after a bit of work, we were able to make this place function in a way that would allow us to live."

Arashi stood up and walked to one of the bridges. "After a bit of time, we were able to map out the tunnels that were still intact as well as where their entrances were on the surface. We then used Kiki's new toys combined with our survival and stealth skills to take a few things that we would need. Now, we each have an entire wardrobe of items that lets us blend in with the tops without raising suspicion. Once we had that, Kiki just needed to "move" some money around for us to be able to gather things without needing to steal it."

"By stealing money!?" They all looked down at Takumi's words as he stood up. "Why would you ever think something like that would be alright!? Aren't you lot simply being selfish!?"

Faster than anyone could react, Takumi was suddenly lifted by his collar and stared down in shock in the glaring eyes of Mei. "DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT AGAIN! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT US!"

Takumi was frozen, as Ruri watched in fear and Ryuuji nearly jumped at Mei himself, just stopping himself when he realized that Seishi and Kiki were trying to talk her down. But she seemed oblivious to them as she continued glaring at Takumi. "You yourself said that you have only been here for a few hours! So don't you dare lecture us about how we survive in the world we grew up in! There isn't a single way to make money without becoming a slave to the whims of the Tops, or WORSE, making this the only way to get money without losing our freedom. And you dare to call us selfish!? Every time we go out into the Tops districts to stock up, we make sure to gather up extra supplies that we later dole out to those who are completely unable to support themselves! The orphaned and the crippled? The old and the sick? We make sure that they not only have enough to eat, but are at least comfortable enough to not fear for their lives! Whenever Security decides to throw around their weight just because they want to push us around, we make sure to be there to protect the little guy. And those times where we're stealing money to fund ourselves, we make sure we only take exactly the amount we need so that it's small enough to not be noticed by the TRULY selfish Tops and their nearly literal MOUNTAINS of money that they never even use! They just keep it in order to make themselves feel better than the Commons! Not to mention that we regularly head out in search of those who would make life difficult for others just to feel better about themselves! You know that gang you ran into before? We were planning on forcing them to disband tomorrow after we were done with our rounds checking in on all of our NUMEROUS dependents that we JUST TODAY gave the rest of our excess stockpile to! So never, ever, CALL US SELFISH EVER AGAIN!"

At that, Mei threw Takumi back onto the couch were he just sat in shock at what he just heard, Ruri and Ryuuji not fairing much better. As Mei's rant got louder and angrier, Seishi and Kiki eventually stopped trying to talk her down as they sat back down in silence with faraway looks in their eyes. Mei then took a few deep breathes before walking across one of the bridges and out of the room. Throughout all of this, Arashi didn't move an inch.

A few moments after Mei left, Takumi just blinked a couple of times. "… Woah… now I feel like a bit of a jerk."

Arashi turned and walked back to one of the seats. "Sorry about that. Before she met us, she apparently had a few issues with people she considered selfish. She never told us the specifics, and we never pushed."

Ryuuji narrowed his eyes at that. "Wait, so you know nothing about her before you met?"

"It's not that uncommon." The trio then turned to Kiki as she leaned over the back of her seat. "Lots of Commons have histories that they aren't really proud of, and even more have had something particularly bad happen to them."

Arashi let out a sigh. "And whatever it is, it's best to wait for the individual to say it themselves than to try and pry it out from them. Otherwise, they may never be able to move past it. And that, is why we never pressured her to tell us what happened before we met."

Everyone was silent for a few moments, before Takumi took a deep breath and looked at their guests. "So, anyone mind if I change the topic of discussion?" After no one objected, he nodded. "Okay, good. So the thing is, we shouldn't be the only visitors to your dimension at the moment."

Arashi straightened up at this. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, the last I heard from Reiji was that he and a small team were supposed to come here in search of allies within Synchro, considering that you will eventually be caught up in this war as well. I came here separately from the rest because I wound up taking a slight, uh, "detour" through the Fusion dimension. It's been days since I've been able to talk to any of them, and the last message I got was that they would be coming here, so we came here following them. But we have no idea where to find them, or get in touch with them. Is there anything you can do to help?"

Arashi, Seishi, and Kiki all shared a look, before Kiki turned to the computer and hit a few buttons. "Hmm… There is a slight jamming system that covers the entirety of the City, making it impossible for people without clearance to send or receive data wirelessly, so we can't just bust through the systems holding us back. But maybe I can set something up if you don't mind waiting awhile."

Ruri looked at her questioningly, hoping that she will be able to talk to her brother soon. "How long is awhile?"

Kiki looked over to them and shrugged. "Not sure yet. I can set the program to run itself automatically, but it would need to not only have to insert itself onto the Security Systems that run the jamming programs, but also track down specific disks to allow them the ability to send and receive data. Could be half a day, could be half an hour, could be half a week, I don't know yet. If I had the disk itself then it would be a matter of seconds rather than this, but I haven't really tried this yet so…"

Takumi groaned and leaned against the back of the couch. "Aw maaannn… More waiting!?" He then jumped up to his feet, surprising Ruri and gaining an amused look from Ryuuji. "Okay. Please tell me you guys at LEAST have something to do around here, because I don't want to just sit around and be bored all the time."

The three of them shared some looks, before Seishi had an idea and turned to Takumi with a grin. "Ever drive a D-wheel before?"

"…"

Takumi didn't move for a few moments, then blinked. After a few more moments, a large smile appeared on his face. "Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!"

* * *

As the Misfits (as Takumi decided to think of them as a group) led them to another open room, the three of them were in awe of the area below them. They came out to a raised platform that overlooked a large track with numerous ups and downs and twists and turns that made Takumi think of it as a slight maze! As the trio admired the track, Kiki walked over to a nearby computer and keyed in some commands. Before their eyes, the track shifted across the room and all that was left was a simple racing loop.

"Sorry, was still set for one of our practice courses." They all looked at Kiki as she continued to push in some buttons. "And if you plan on riding for the first time, you'll want something simple. Trust me on that one. Now then…" A display then lit up on the wall and showed off several different D-wheels. "Most of our options are pretty basic in design, but we do have the materials to modify them as you like. But first you should get an understanding of how to drive it.

Takumi had stars in his eyes as he and the others looked through the different selections. Ryuuji looked back at them in question. "How do you have this many D-wheels?"

Arashi shrugged his shoulders. "We mentioned earlier that we steal from the Tops and Security. A bunch of these were impounded from "criminals" and left to rust. Sometimes we go out and liberate some."

Ruri looked at them while Takumi kept trying to pick. "Just the 4 of you? And you get this many?"

Seishi grinned as he looked at Kiki. "Well, our resident genius happens to know a thing or two about accessing another vehicle's auto-pilot systems. All we had to do was make sure she could get access."

Kiki blushed a little at the praise, before turning her attention to the guests. "That said, we also make sure that these get some use. We occasionally bring them to people we think we can trust to use them for good intentions. For example, this one guy, Shinji I think, and some friends of his."

"Huh..." Ryuuji and Ruri were going to ask more questions, but before they could…

"I'll try out this one." They looked back to see Takumi picking out a D-wheel, so Kiki hit in a few buttons on the computer.

"Okay, go into that side room and grab a spare riding outfit. It's complete with lockers so you can keep your stuff in one spot. And before you argue, I can promise that what you're wearing right now isn't suitable for steering a D-wheel."

Takumi frowned at Arashi before shrugging and going to do so. When he came out minutes later, he was in a riding suit that was dark blue and had light blue accents that matched his hair. In his hands was a matching helmet with a clear visor. After a few moments, a section of the wall moved aside and a platform came out connecting to theirs, Takumi's selection on it. The design wasn't much to look at, being only silver with a triangular front and a pointed back.

But for Takumi, it may as well have been Christmas!

Takumi couldn't help but grin at what they were about to let him play with, and quickly ran up and on it, admiring all the different system displays. As Ruri and Ryuuji came to get a closer look, something caught Takumi's eye just in front of the dashboard. "Hey guys, what does this thing do?"

Arashi and Seishi came over to see what he was talking about, then looked at him like it was obvious. "What are you talking about? Those are the dueling features."

Takumi seemed to freeze looking at Arashi, then blinked a few times. "I-I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I heard that right. Because it sounded like you just said these things can be used in duels?"

The Synchro users looked at each other, before Arashi looked at him again. "Well, what did you think the "D" in D-wheel stood for?"

Ryuuji and Ruri looked at Takumi apprehensively as he blinked a few more times, knowing by now what to expect next. Then, his eyes widened to their limits and his grin grew all across his face as he turned back to the runner. "I've changed my mind about this world. This. Place. ROCKS!" He then turned back to the others. "Alright, now someone HAS to duel me on these things!"

As everyone sweat dropped at his enthusiasm, Ruri gave a nervous laugh to match her nervous smile and Ryuuji had a hand to his face as he addressed him. "Is dueling all you can think of sometimes?"

"If it comes up, sometimes."

"Hahaha." They both turned to Seishi who was laughing lightly. "Haha, sorry, but you don't even know how to ride it yet, and you already want to give dueling on it a try?"

"I'm a quick study."

Seishi then shared a few looks with Arashi and Kiki, before Arashi shrugged. "I guess we have some time to kill. But what if we make this interesting?"

"Oh? How so?"

"Each of you, versus each of us."

"Huh?" "What?" "AWESOME!" Ruri and Ryuuji turned to look at the enthusiasm on Takumi's expression, while he examined their looks. "What? Oh come on this sounds like fun."

"You can't be serious."

Everyone turned their heads down the hall and Takumi flinched slightly at the glaring Mei that was approaching them with arms crossed. Mei then turned her head towards Arashi. "You plan on showing them how to use a D-wheel and how to have a Riding Duel just like that? These guys don't understand the first thing about us."

Arashi let out a sigh before replying. "Come on Mei, he didn't know. If what he's said is true than the world he comes from is a bit more black and white than ours is. He might not even know what to do with grey."

Takumi sweat-dropped at the words. 'I can't tell. Did he just defend me, or insult me?'

"That would also mean that their war could follow them here, right? And these guys had to come to our world in order to find people strong enough to fight their battles for them, so why should we offer them anything?"

"HEY!" Takumi had then stood up and started walking to Mei. "First, allow me to apologize earlier for making you angry. I ran my mouth without hearing both sides of the story. And for that, I'm sorry. However," He was now a couple feet away from a very irritated Mei. "That doesn't mean you get to make assumptions on our character, or our intentions. We don't want anyone fighting our battles, we want people fighting by our side against a common enemy. And I promise you, with or without our coming to this world, you guys would all be swept into this war as well."

Mei continued to glare at him, before Arashi stepped in and pushed them apart before more happened. "Alright, that's enough. If you two plan on fighting this out, do it down there." He then hiked a thumb down to the track as Kiki was already using the console to bring out Mei's D-wheel.

Mei glared one more time, before walking to her D-wheel where her helmet rested, with Seishi, Ruri, and Ryuuji quick to get out of her way.

As she stormed over to her D-wheel, Takumi gulped nervously. "Why do I get the feeling she intends to kill me in this duel?"

"Maybe because you pissed her off?"

Takumi glared at the laughing Seishi. "REALLY? Geez, I forgot ALL about that."

* * *

A/N: Alright, that's all I got for you guys this time. Like I said before, sorry about how long this took to put together and release, and I am currently unable to set a time for when I can update next. Until then, I hope you guys can enjoy what I have for you so far.

And like I've said before, if you guys have any card or plot ideas that you think might be interesting, send me a message or leave a review. Feel free to speak your mind and let me know about any opinions or thoughts you have, because every little thing helps.

And with that, see you guys next time.


	19. A Ronin's Resolve

Wow. Took me a while to figure this one out. To everyone who has shown support for this story, I would like to give a resounding thank you. Seeing the reviews, follows, favorites and everything boosts my drive to keep updating for you guys. Speaking of, time for some review responses.

 **FurySong** : No he doesn't, and much appreciated.

 **aibcareer2k** : Hope you like what I did.

 **HunterHQ** : The first duel begins!

 **darkblade2814** : I am indeed accepting Fanmade cards, and I like your ideas. It definitely makes me want to work on a duel with Reiji at some point. I don't have a lot of practice with D/D cards, so it may take some time to work out what kind of cards these may turn out into, but I promise I will look into it.

 **Pink Pidgeon (review from chapter 3):** The written effect of Negate Attack is [When an opponent's monster declares an attack: **Target the attacking monster** ; negate the attack, then end the Battle Phase.] Still, I appreciate that you took the time to tell me that you thought something was wrong. If you manage to find anything else you think I made a mistake on, let me know.

Now that that's out of the way, let's see how Takumi deals with dueling a Synchro user after he was foolish enough to make her mad at him.

* * *

As Takumi and Mei were sent down to the track below, the others watched in anticipation. Arashi turned to their guests. "So, how good would you say Takumi is?"

Ryuuji crossed his arms in thought. "Well, I have yet to see him lose. And the one time I have seen him come close was about half a week ago when more and more opponents kept jumping in Battle Royal style. Then again, I have no idea how trying to pull off the same results while on a motorcycle will go. What about Mei?"

Seishi smirked as he leaned against the railing. "Let's just say I wouldn't want to mess with her on a good day, and I've known her for years."

Ryuuji and Ruri shared a look, then turned their attention to the track.

Meanwhile, Takumi walked his runner to the track and hopped on at the starting line, where Mei was waiting patiently (at least he thought she was being patient, seeing as she put on the helmet that hid her face and she didn't look at or even speak to him up until then). After making sure he was comfortable and his helmet was on right, he checked where he was told to set his deck and that it was secure.

As he was doing this, Aka and Ao appeared and sat on the front of the D-wheel facing him. "Are you sure this is a good idea Takumi? You know nothing about how these things work."

Takumi smirked at that. ' _But that's half the fun! Besides, you guys know by now that I learn by doing, not by listening_.'

Aka sighed while Ao giggled at that. "Come now brother, you had to have known that wouldn't work. Besides, imagine the shows we could give if we can use one of these!"

' _Right?!_ ' Takumi then blinked. ' _Hey, where's Ki?'_ Both of them seemed to frown at that. _'Uh, what did I miss?_ '

Ao then waved her wing in dismissal. "Oh, don't worry about him. We're just making sure he learns his lesson about using too much energy."

Takumi raised an eyebrow at those words. ' _Wait, what kind of lesson?_ '

* * *

Out in the edge of the Trinity's Domain, a massive boulder of ice was sitting in a clearing, using a certain struggling thunderbird as a pedestal while Blade Burner and Red-Eyes watched in amusement. "I must say, while I have heard stories about the 3 of you, I never imagined that sister of yours would put you through a punishment like this."

Ki glared at Burner as he struggled against the ice boulder on his back. "Come on BB, RE! Have a heart and give me a break already!"

Burner shook his head. "I'm sorry sir, but I cannot. While I admire your strength and character, your sister is technically my ruler as a fellow Xyz Bird. And she gave me the mission of making sure you didn't skip out of your punishment."

Red-Eyes merely smirked at him. "And I find it too entertaining to give you a reason to get out of this. So you are stuck there until one of your siblings says you can stop."

Burner then turned to the dragon. "And here I thought it was about the bets you made with some of the other spirits for how long he could keep this up."

"Hey, if I'm gonna enjoy myself, I may as well let a few others do so as well. Besides, you yourself got in on one of those bets if I recall."

Ki slumped his head as he continued to brace his legs against the boulder, forbidden to use his powers to make it easier. "I hate you both…"

* * *

"Don't worry about that for now. If he is needed, we'll give him a break. For now, you should focus on the duel."

Takumi stared at Aka, then Ao, then both of them. Then shrugged. ' _Okay then, I'll trust you guys. Now then…_ ' He then turned his attention to the D-wheel with a grin. "Let's see what this baby can do!"

A that moment, a window popped up on his display and showed Kiki. "Hey. You both ready for this?"

A second window then appeared and showed Mei, face still hidden by visor. "Of course."

Takumi then grinned even more. "Always!"

"Alright, green lighting systems." A holographic image of a stoplight with a countdown then appeared above him and Mei. "You guys are good to go. Have fun! Oh and, try not to hurt him too much Mei?"

"No promises."

Takumi sighed at that, just before the countdown began and his energy peaked one again. Once the number hit zero and the light turned green, Kiki declared "Riding Duel, Acceleration!", he and Mei sped off down the track!

"Duel!"

Mei: 4000

Vs

Takumi: 4000

"First around the turn gets the first move!" Mei sped off as soon as she said that, gaining distance away from a surprised Takumi.

"Eh?! No one told me that! Alright then…" He then got a feel for the systems and tried to catch up, but he couldn't compare to Mei's experience and she easily got to the turn before he could.

"I get the first turn! First, I activate Shien's Smoke Signal. With it, I can add a level 3 or lower "Six Samurai" monster from my deck to my hand, like my Legendary Six Samurai Kageki. Next, I activate the continuous spell card Six Samurai United, then Summon Kageki!" Appearing beside her was a dual-wielding samurai with a pair of mechanical arms on his back each holding another sword. "And with his effect, I can now summon a level 4 or lower Six Samurai from my hand, like my Kagamusha of the Six!" On her other side, a warrior in green with a spear.

"With each monster summoned, my spell gains a Bushido counter. And I can then send it to the graveyard to draw 1 card for each counter on it. This gets me 2 cards." She then drew her cards and looked at one of them in surprise. "Perfect. If I control 2 or more Six Samurai monsters, I can special summon this card from my hand. Come forth, Great Shogun Shien!" Her samurais then crossed weapons together and a portal appeared, before a large figure appeared in reddish armor.

Up on the platform, Seishi looked down nervously. "Oi, oi, she isn't using that combo on the first turn is she!?"

"I now tune my level 3 Kageki to the level 2 tuner monster Kagemusha!" Her monsters then shot up above, Kagemusha turning into 2 synchro rings. As Kageki flew into the rings, it became three stars. " _Don your shining armor, and tear apart your enemies! Synchro Summon! Stand tall, Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En!"_ Appearing from the burst of light was a warrior similar in size to the Shogun, wearing bright orange armor with a wicked looking sword. The 2 warriors then turned to Takumi and gave out ferocious war cries with raised swords.

Arashi cringed slightly as the 2 monsters called out. "Oh boy, she isn't messing around."

Ruri looked at him in concern. "What do you mean? What is she doing?"

"She sealed away everything but his monsters." Shocked, she listened to his words. "First, the Shogun makes it so he can only play 1 Spell or Trap each turn. Next, Shi En allows her to negate one of his Spell or Trap effects once per turn. Alone, either one is a troublesome opponent to beat, but together, it completely removes his ability to use anything but his monsters."

"No way…"

"That's not all." They all then turned to Ryuuji, who didn't take his eyes off of the duel. "From what he's told me about Pendulum Summoning, it requires first playing a Pendulum monster into his Pendulum Zone as a Spell card. So with this combo, he can't even use Pendulum, one of his best weapons. This will be interesting."

Meanwhile, Takumi was looking at the 2 massive warriors in awe. "… Okay, those guys are awesome."

Mei then turned in his direction. "If you have time to gawk at my monsters, then you have time to think your next move. I play 2 cards face-down and end my turn!"

Takumi grinned as he followed Mei and her samurais down the track. "Alright then, if you insist! I draw!" He then took a few moments looking through his hand and considering the monsters he was going up against. As he did so, Aka and Ao appeared on his shoulders. ' _So, any ideas on how to bring down either the Shogun or the Synchro?_ '

Aka then peered at said monsters. "Hmm, one limits the activation of cards, and the other negates activations. I wonder… Ah! Takumi, listen closely."

As Takumi listened, his eyes widened at Aka's plan, then grinned. ' _Oh, nice! In that case…'_ "I'll start by playing Sonic Chick in defense mode!" Appearing with a chirp was a small pink bird running in a pair of red shoes. "I then play 2 cards face-down and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw! I now attack your chick with my Legendary Shi En! Take it down!" Her Synchro monster then brandished its sword and charged at the small level 1…

Which nimbly dodged the sword at the last second! "What?!"

Takumi smirked at Mei. "Sorry, but Sonic Chick can't be destroyed in battle with a monster that has at least 1900 ATK points. And since both of your monsters have 2500, they are too big to land a hit on my little friend!" To which Chick gave a few happy chirps in response.

Up above, Seishi was laughing his head off. "Hahaha! He's holding her off with a little baby! Haha!"

Kiki just kept watching with the others, a smirk on her face. "Don't count on that."

Mei pulled out a card from her hand. "When one of my warriors fails to destroy one of your monsters, I can Special Summon Sword Master from my hand!" Out came an Indian styled monster with sharp thin blades. "I now attack chick with Sword Master, and his ATK isn't high enough for your chick to dodge this time!" The monster then grinned at chick as he readied his blades, causing Chick to panic slightly.

Takumi didn't look worried in the slightest however. "I activate my face-down. Mirror Force!" As the infamous trap revealed itself, Sword Master's blade ran into a clear barrier. "With this, I can now destroy each of your monsters!"

"I think not, because I'll use Shi En's effect to negate your Mirror Force and destroy it!" Shi En then gathered energy into its sword, then swung it, releasing the energy at the barrier. As it shattered, Sword Master continued its attack and pierced right through Takumi's monster, destroying it and sending a small shock wave at him that caused his D-wheel to shake slightly. "And when Sword Master attacks a monster in defense mode, you take piercing battle damage."

Takumi: 4000 – 3100

"And now you're wide open for a direct attack. Great Shogun Shien! Strike him down!" Her other monsters moved out of the way, as her Shogun began to charge straight at Takumi.

As it grew closer, Takumi had an expressionless face, before it grew a smirk. "I activate my second face-down!"

Mei glared at him. "Except you can't. Shien only lets you use 1 spell or trap each turn, and you blew it on Mirror Force."

Takumi just kept smirking. "True, but that was negated. So technically, I have yet to play a spell or trap!" Behind the visor, Mei's eyes widened in realization as Takumi kept going. "In which case, there won't be any problem if I activate my **Retaliating Winds**!"

At that, a strong wind blew about the field, forcing each of Mei's warriors back and causing her to shake slightly, while Takumi was completely unaffected. "I can only play this card when you declare a direct attack after destroying one of my Winged Beasts in battle. This then lets me summon any other Winged Beast that happens to be in my hand. So please welcome Phoenix Beast Gairuda!"

Manifesting was a metallic orange bird that gave out a shrill cry as the winds intensified. "Also, my trap then switches every monster you control whose defense is less than Gairuda's 2500 ATK to defense mode and negates their effects!" Gairuda then gave out another cry and flapped its wings, sending even stronger winds to Mei's monsters and forcing them into defensive positions.

Up above, Ryuuji was smirking at Mei's speechless friends. "Told you he was good. He not only found a weak point in her combo, but used it to literally bring her monsters to their knees while bringing out a monster that can rival hers in strength."

Seishi could only blink in shock. "I've never even thought about a loophole like that…"

"Still, don't count her out yet." They both then looked to Arashi, who was just watching with interest. "No matter how strong of an enemy comes out, she's always ready to stand up to it."

Mei then held an arm out and a face-down revealed itself in that direction. "I activate my face-down, Urgent Tuning!"

Takumi's eyes widened in shock. "Uh oh, I know where this is going."

"I now tune my level 5 Shi En to my level 3 tuner Sword Master!" The 2 monsters then got off their knees and leaped into the sky, Sword Master becoming 3 rings for her Synchro to fly through. _"With your blazing fury, crush the foolish rebellion that would rise against you! Synchro Summon! Come forth, level 8! Crimson Blader!_ "

Out came a large, slender warrior in crimson armor and wielding a massive sword in each hand, glaring menacingly at Gairuda. "Now attack his phoenix!" Releasing a battle cry, Blader charger and cleaved right through Takumi's monster, causing him to shake once again.

Takumi: 3100 – 2800

"Also, since Blader destroyed a monster in battle, you now cannot summon any monsters of level 5 or higher during your next turn!"

Eyes wide, Takumi could only stare in disbelief. 'You gotta be kidding me… None of my level 4 or lower monsters can take that thing on! Even my Xyz monsters might not have the ability to do that.' He then looked over to the still kneeling Shogun. 'At least I managed to bring down that Shogun's ability, so Pendulum is at least an option. Now then…'

Kiki giggled back at her position next to the others. "Oh man, she really wants to make him suffer. Crimson Blader isn't typically the one she uses at this point, but it is terrifying trying to beat it."

"It won't matter." Ruri just kept watching. "He'll beat it just like he beat the other 2. Just because he's stuck with lower levels, doesn't mean he doesn't have a way to win."

"My turn! DRAW! I activate Scattered Feathers to banish Gairuda and draw 1 card for every 2 levels he had, giving me 3 cards." As Takumi looked through his cards, he smiled. "Oh yes! This is just the type of thing I needed! First up, I now set the scale 1 **Aridhuda, Lunar Bird of the Trinity** and scale 7 **Heliopolis, Solar Bird of the Trinity** in my Pendulum zones!"

Appearing in the twin pillars of Pendulum light were 2 humanoid birds, each wearing ceremonial light armor and helmet that covered everything but their eyes and beak, holding a spear with a crystalline tip as the numbers 1 and 7 appeared beneath them. The one above the 1 wore silver armor and had 4 small silver wings, and their beak was the same shade of silver. Upon their breastplate was a crescent moon. The other one had golden armor, wings, and beak, with an image of a shining sun on their armor.

 **Heliopolis, Solar Bird of the Trinity (Winged-Beast/Light/lvl5/sc7)**

 **ATK: 1250 DEF: 1000**

 **Aridhuda, Lunar Bird of the Trinity (Winged-Beast/Dark/lvl5/sc1)**

 **ATK: 1000 DEF: 1250**

Arashi and his friends looked in interest at the two Pendulum cards. "Well this is different."

Kiki then held a hand to her chin in thought. "Yeah, but there's something about this…"

Meanwhile, Mei turned her head to look at the cards Takumi played, waiting to see what he would do.

Takumi then pulled another card from his hand. "And now, I Normal Summon Necro Wing!" The purple bird appeared beside him with a cry. "With Necro Wing's effect, I now revive Sonic Chick from my graveyard!" The tiny bird then revived and began running beside him happily.

Takumi then threw an arm up with a massive smile on his face. "I now tune my level 1 Sonic Chick to my level 2 tuner Necro Wing!"

As his monsters shot up into the air, Seishi could only lean forward over the railing in surprise. "Wait, that thing was a tuner?!"

As Chick leaped through the 2 Synchro Rings, it became a single star before a beam of light shot through. " _Keep watch over the borders, and entrap all who would invade upon the nest! Synchro Summon! Appear, level 3! Mist Bird Clausolas!"_

Emerging from the light was a green and purple bird with sharp curved beak and talons, giving off a piercing shriek! "And now, the Pendulum effect of Aridhuda activates. Once per turn, when a monster is summoned from the Extra Deck, I get to draw 1 card."

As he drew his card, Arashi noticed something from above. "Hey, why didn't he summon that in defense mode?" At his words, everyone quickly realized the same thing. That Takumi summoned a monster with 0 ATK in attack mode.

And this only made Mei wary.

"I now activate Clausolas' effect! Once per turn, I can take one of your monsters and not only negate its effects, but I can also reduce its ATK to 0! Confounding Mist!" Clausolas then flew up and began to flap its wings at Blader, releasing a white mist that began to swirl around it. As it made contact with Blader, it then began to sap at its strength until it was on its knees.

2800 – 0

Mei then glared at Takumi. "You may have weakened my Blader, but your Bird still can't destroy it with its own 0 ATK."

Takumi just kept smiling, as he then raised an arm to Aridhuda. "I activate my Lunar Bird's second Pendulum effect. Once per turn, I can target one of my Winged Beasts and either sacrifice its ATK to boost its DEF, or the opposite. So now, Aridhuda will shine its light upon Clausolas and turn his 2300 DEF into 2300 ATK!" The Pendulum monster then held its spear up while the moon on its chest glowed, causing a beam of light to shine down from above and onto Clausolas.

0/2300 – 2300/0

"Now my little Synchro is gonna bring down your big bad Blader! Take it down Clausolas!" Giving a shriek, Clausolas flew up even higher and shot down at the opposing Synchro, Talons extended and shredded through Mei's monster, causing it to explode into light and making her waver on the track.

Mei: 4000 – 1700

"And now Heliopolis's Pendulum effect activates! Since one of my Winged Beasts destroyed a Synchro monster in battle, I can now destroy one card on the field! So say goodbye to your Shogun!" Heliopolis then gathered light in its spear as the sun on its armor glowed, before thrusting the spear towards the shogun and releasing a beam of energy at him, causing him to be destroyed as well.

As the impact of Shogun's destruction hit Mei, she had finally slowed down enough for Takumi to shoot ahead of her! "WOOOHOOOO!"

Up above, Mei's friends were shocked at the development. Seishi then slowly pointed a finger down below. "… Did he just… Pass her?!" Arashi and Kiki simply nodded. Ryuuji meanwhile…

"Yeah! Now that's the kind of turnaround I expect from you!" He was cheering him on at the railing while Ruri was watching in satisfaction.

Hearing Ryuuji's cheers, Takumi looked up at them and waved. "You guys have GOT to try this! These D-Wheels ROCK!"

"Are you finished?"

"Huh?"

Takumi then looked back at Mei, who had apparently set her visor to reveal her face. And it slightly frightened Takumi with its intensity. "Because I'm not just going to lose this easily. I now activate my face-down, Shadow Impulse!" As the trap revealed itself, a shadow took form behind her in the shape of Crimson Blader! "Since you destroyed one of my Synchro monsters in battle, I can now Synchro Summon a monster whose level and type match the destroyed monster's. So now I'll call out a new level 8 Warrior-type Synchro!" With a cry, the shadow of Crimson Blader then turned into 8 stars that formed a line, before a new pillar of light shot through.

" _Rise in the name of the fallen, and avenge your brothers in arms with your massive power! Synchro Summon! Stand up, level 8! Colossal Fighter!_ "

Appearing with a roar, was a monster that made Takumi pause in surprise. For just behind Mei was a giant figure in whitish armor that would make Blue-eyes feel a bit short. As it stared down at him and Clausolas through its visor, Takumi swore he could have heard his Synchro gulp out of nervousness. Even Ao and Aka, who appeared on his shoulders, gave the beast of a warrior a look of apprehension.

"For every Warrior in my graveyard, Fighter gains 100 ATK. I have 3 Samurais, my Shogun, Sword Master, and Crimson Blader. That makes 6."

2800 – 3400

"Oh boy, there she goes." Kiki leaned back a bit at the summon of Fighter. "That right there is one of her strongest cards. She really might hurt him at this rate."

"Still, for her to bring out Colossal against him, she is at least acknowledging his ability. I for one can't wait to see how things go from here." Arashi then leaned against the rails himself.

Takumi narrowed his eyes at the behemoth, before pulling a card from his hand. "I place 1 card face-down, then activate Solar Bird's second Pendulum effect. I can now shift my Mist Bird into defense mode." As Heliopolis raised its spear, the sun on its chest glowed once more as a ray of sunlight shined down onto Clausolas, as it bared its talons defensively. "Now, at the end of my turn, Clausolas's ATK and DEF return to normal."

2300/0 – 0/2300

"I draw. I now activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 cards. I now attack Clausolas with Fighter! Titanic Takedown!" Her massive monster then began to charge at Takumi's monster.

"I activate Solar Bird's effect, and shift your Fighter into defense mode!"

"I'll counter with the Twin Twister quick-play spell, and discard 1 card in my hand to destroy the cards in your Pendulum zones!" Both of Takumi's Pendulum cards then got caught in a pillar of furious winds, blocking Takumi's Solar Bird from using its effect in time and destroying it and the Lunar Bird. "Also, Since I discarded my Immortal Bushi from my hand, Fighter gains more strength for there being another Warrior in my graveyard!"

3400 – 3500

"Now smash his bird!" With nothing stopping it anymore, Colossal Fighter proceeded to bring its massive fist down upon Takumi's Synchro, destroying it with a powerful shock wave.

"Woah-oh!" Takumi then worked to recover from the blast, requiring a minute or so to stabilize. Once he did, he held out an arm. "I activate my face-down, Bountiful Nest! Since you just destroyed a Winged Beast-type in battle, I can now look at cards on top of my deck up to its level, then add 1 Winged Beast among them to my hand before shuffling my deck." Takumi then pulled out the top 3 cards and looked through them, before picking 1 out. "I'll choose my Unibird."

"No matter. I now place 1 card face-down and end my turn."

Takumi Looked right back at her. "My turn, I draw!" He then looked through the cards in his hand as Ao and Aka appeared on his shoulders. ' _Well, at least she hasn't gotten ahead again. Any chance you 2 will…'_

The sibling spirits shared a look, before Ao sighed and Aka nodded. "Very well. We'll be right back." The 2 then disappeared as Takumi waited.

* * *

As they arrived in their domain, Aka and Ao were met with an unexpected sight. "Uh, what happened to your boulder?"

Ao just blinked in surprise. "Ummm… I guess it was remodeled?"

Before them, Ki was still all that was holding up the ice. However, it seemed that the boulder had not only been shaped, but added to. It was now three times taller, and modeled into a shape resembling Ki and Nightingale! Around the highly embarrassed Thunderbird, Red-Eyes was lying on the ground laughing his tail off with Blade Burner and several other Spirits laughing and showing their amusement in their own ways. Some of them were even resting on the formations around the "stars" of the sculpture.

Aka then took notice of one of the figures on the ice. "Ah, that would explain where they got the extra ice." Following his gaze, Ao saw the Xyz spirit Zerofyne giggling in delight at Ki's face from the edge of the sculpture.

"HAHAHAAAAAHAHAHAHAAA! YOU SHOULD SEE THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE THUNDERBIRD! HAHAHAAA! Quick! Someone get me a mirror so I can show him!"

"URRRGH! I hate you SO much right now Red-Eyes!"

"Hahahaaa! Don't tell me you wouldn't be having fun right now if it were anyone else in your position! Seriously, WE NEED A MIRROR, HAHAHA!"

"Would this do?"

Looking to his side, RE saw a crystalline hexagonal mirror being held in a sapphire blue wing. Grinning, RE took the mirror and looked at it in his claws. "OH! This is perfect! Thanks! Now, looky-looky Ki!" As he held the mirror up to Ki, he grew slightly confused as to why Ki wasn't looking at him, or as to why he was making a face of pure terror (since he hadn't done anything extra yet). He then noticed how quiet it was, and looked around to see every spirit there had stopped laughing and was looking at something behind him. "What? What's going on?" He then turned around, and froze completely at the figures sitting behind him.

Ao simply smiled at the black dragon. "Well now, I do believe we asked you and Burner to simply watch him, did we not?"

Wide-eyed, RE was speechless as he looked back and forth between Aka and Ao, both of which seeming to expect an answer. "Oh… uh… well… y-yes, I-we did that and uh… I kind of, maybe…"

"Grew bored?"

Red-Eyes froze again at Aka's words. "… Yeaaaahhh… Kind of…"

Aka then looked up at the sculpture. "So then you thought you'd see if you could "remodel" the boulder Ao left behind?"

The dragon then lowered his head and scratched his head with his claws. "Yeah, I didn't really think I'd make anything good, so I may have asked for some, uh, "reinforcements"."

Ao then quirked an eyebrow. "And how did you manage to convince Zerofyne over there to supply you with ice?"

"Hehe, uh, i-it wasn't easy to say the least. But the moment she found out about Ki's "affections", she seemed to perk up a little and might have taken full control of the situation."

Aka and Ao then looked at their humiliated sibling in amusement, as he looked up at them pitifully. "... Please let me out."

Ao then blinked, then turned to Aka. "Did our brother just beg? And say please?"

Aka then laughed a little. "I do think he's learned his lesson. You can get out now. Oh, and Takumi needs you ASAP."

Before he even finished talking, the ice surged with electricity as the perched spirits quickly flew off, before the sculpture shifted done to the ground as Ki shot away from it. "YEAH-HAHAHAAAA! Finally, something I can DO! Here I come Takumi!" With a flash of light and a burst of sound, Ki shot of out of the domain.

Aka and Ao simply smirked, before they turned to the spirits that were still there. "We'll be discussing this later." They then took off after their brother, leaving a number of slightly worried spirits behind, some of which were glaring at the dragon that got them into this.

* * *

"Well? Are you going to continue or do you plan on surrendering?"

Takumi looked back at Mei and her Colossal Fighter and winced slightly. ' _Come on guys, any second now!"_

"How about this second?" Takumi looked back ahead and smiled at the sight of Ki on his handle bars. "Now that seems like quite the opponent. Now let me at em!"

Smirking, Takumi continued with his turn. "I now activate the effect of the Aridhuda in my Extra Deck, and banish it along with my Heliopolis!" The spirits of his monsters then appeared behind him and gathered into light. "In exchange for my opponent getting to draw a card, I now use Aridhuda's effect to Synchro Summon the symbol of my courage regardless of the levels used!" A beam of Synchro light then shot out!

" _Bearing the speed of lightning, and the power of thunder! Gather the storm clouds, and strike down all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Descend from the skies, as the symbol of my courage! Level 8! Strength of the Trinity, Ki-Rai!"_

With a burst of light, Takumi's friend appeared and released a powerful cry, sizing up the giant that was still towering over him. "Now THIS is a job for ME!"

Meanwhile, Arashi could only watch in surprise. "He Just performed a Synchro Summon ignoring levels?! And without any monsters on the field?!"

Mei only looked at the monster before with slight interest as she drew her card. "Not bad, but it isn't strong enough to beat my Fighter."

Takumi looked back with a smile. "Wanna bet? When Synchro Summoned, my opponent takes damage equal to 400x the Synchro materials used, and Aridhuda lets me treat both it and all other banished monsters as materials! Static Discharge!" Ki then gathered lightning around himself, then released it in a wide burst, striking Mei and causing her to shake again.

Mei: 1700 – 900

Mei then looked at him in defiance. "That still isn't enough. I'm not down yet."

"Maybe, but Ki isn't done either. When my opponent takes effect damage, Ki gains ATK equal to the damage!" At those words, Mei took notice of the electricity still coursing around Ki.

2800 – 3600

"And now Ki has the strength to bring down your Fighter! Go! Devastating Storm Strike!" Ki then flew up high and dive-bombed at Colossal, who raised a large hand to intercept. When the two met, a powerful shockwave unlike any before rang out, despite dealing only 100 points of damage to Mei.

Mei: 900 – 800

As Ki emerged from the smoke, he flew beside Takumi who was smirking in the direction of Mei. "Well? What do you think now?"

Mei simply looked back at him, as a small vibration began throughout the field. Confused, Takumi looked about in worry as the vibrations grew into rumbling, before a burst of energy appeared in the middle of the track ahead of them and a massive hand reached out!

"Woah!" Wide-eyed, Takumi swerved out of the way of the arm as it pulled the form it was attached to out of the ground, and was shocked at what he saw. "No way… Why is it back already?!"

Mei simply waited for Colossal Fighter to finish pulling itself out, before it leaped back behind her. "When Colossal Fighter is destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, I can revive any Warrior-type monster in the graveyard. And this of course, includes himself."

Seishi could only laugh. "Haha. He really thought he could beat Fighter in battle alone? That thing's determination won't let it die in battle."

"Oh really?" Seishi turned to Ryuuji, whose smile had him confused for a moment. "In that case, Takumi already has the perfect opponent for him."

Down below, Takumi processed the ability of Fighter, before another massive grin grew on his face. "Well that's just perfect for me, because Ki can attack every monster controlled by my opponent once each, and every time it revives itself it just becomes a new monster to attack!"

Mei's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, it has an effect like that?!"

"Yup! After all, he is always the first to charge into battle, and ready to take on the entire world at once! So every time you bring it back, we'll just knock it down again! Go get them buddy!"

"With pleasure!" Ki then charged up again and flew down towards the opposing Synchro monster that was bracing himself for the upcoming impact.

Mei looked on with shock, then glared at Takumi and held out an arm. "I activate my face-down Skill Successor! This raises Fighter's ATK by 400!" Fighter was then shrouded in a red aura as he roared with power!

3500 – 3900

"Fighter! Knock that bird out of the air!" Her Synchro then began to swipe a massive hand at Ki, stopping his advance and sending out a burst of lightning that washed over Takumi.

Takumi: 2800 – 2500

"Urgh, okay, didn't expect that. But when Ki attacks, he can't be destroyed in battle. You okay pal?"

"Argh, I'm fine, but this guy sure packs a punch."

Nodding, Takumi turned to the rest of the cards in his hand, then noticed a card that may just be key to stopping her monster. ' _But I still need to draw the right card for this to work… As well as survive this next turn. Oh well, at least this will be interesting.'_ "I place 1 card facedown and end my turn, so Fighter now loses his ATK boost."

3900 – 3500

"I draw! I summon Command Knight!" As the red-armored knight appeared, they then raised their sword with a cry. "While on the field, all Warrior-type monsters I control gain 400 ATK points, and if I control another monster, then she can't be attacked."

1200 – 1600

3500 – 3900

"I also banish the Skill Successor trap in my graveyard to activate its effect, giving Fighter 800 more ATK!"

3900 – 4700

Takumi and Ki each stared up at the massive Synchro that once again had the red aura. Ki narrowed his eyes as he assessed the situation. "I hope those cards you played can help us out, because I'm not too fond of my chances here."

"Colossal Fighter! Smash his monster and prove yourself a superior Synchro! Titanic Takedown!" With a roar, Colossal once again began to bring down its fist, this time towards Ki.

Takumi then held out an arm. "I activate my trap, Damage Diet! This will halve all damage I take this turn!" As a clear barrier formed around Takumi, Ki decided to go down swinging and charged into the incoming fist. The resulting shock wave was weakened by Takumi's barrier, but not enough to prevent him from shaking again.

Takumi: 2500 – 1950

"Command Knight! Follow-up and attack him directly!" Her knight then charged at and slashed at the barrier around Takumi, causing him to shake even more!

"Wo-oah!"

Takumi: 1950 – 1150

"Looks like that trap let you survive 1 more turn. Too bad that's all you're getting. I place 1 card face-down and end my turn."

4700 – 3900

Takumi looked back at Mei, then in front again to see Ki being supported by his siblings. "Sorry Takumi, I underestimated that giant."

" _We both did. Don't worry about it. Now then, let's see what my last draw will show me."_ "I draw!" As he looked over the cards he had, he grew slightly nervous as he only saw 1 way for his plan to work. As he looked at the Trinity, he waited for a moment before they gave unanimous nods. He nodded back, before he began to counterattack once again.

"I activate the spell card **Wings of Liberty**! With it, I discard 1 card, allowing me to bring back a banished Winged Beast-type monster, so come back Phoenix Beast Gairuda!" With a shriek, Gairuda appeared once more. "Also, the card I discarded happens to be Mist Valley Baby Roc, allowing me to summon it from my graveyard!" Appearing with a high-pitched cry was a small bird with a skull-like head.

"Next, I summon the Unibird I acquired earlier!" The small blue bird appeared with a cry. "I now activate its effect to banish it with Gairuda to revive a Synchro monster in my graveyard whose level matches both of theirs! 6 plus 2 equals 8, so come on back, Ki-Rai!" Takumi's birds then turned into a total of 8 stars, then a pillar of light burst forth, releasing Ki once more. "When Special summoned, Ki deals damage equal to 200 times the number of Winged Beasts I control." Ki then shot some electricity at Mei.

Mei ignored it as she held out a hand. "I activate Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment! This turns all effect damage aimed at me to 0!" As the lightning was about to hit her, a circle of light formed round her and absorbed the blast. "You won't gain anything by trying to defeat me with effect damage, especially not my respect!"

"Well then, it's a good thing that I wasn't planning to rely on effect damage anyway! After all, Baby Roc just so happens to be just the type of card I need to truly finish this! You ready little fella?!" Takumi maintained a determined look as he held out another arm as Baby Roc chirped and flapped its wings in excitement.

Ruri and Ryuuji widened their eyes, noticing the conditions that were set. Ruri then turned to him in worry. "This, won't go like last time, will it?"

Ryuuji just shrugged, as the others took notice of their concerns. Arashi backed up from the railing as he turned to them. "What do you mean by, "last time"?"

The two shared a look, before Ryuuji turned to him. "Remember what happened just before you found us?"

Widening their own eyes, they all turned to the track and observed what Takumi was doing.

' _You better hold yourself together this time Ki.'_

"Relax, I was angry then. This time, I have nothing but respect for my opponent. I swear to you now that I will finish this with honor."

Nodding slightly, he continued with his turn. "I now tune the level 8 Ki-Rai with the level 2 tuner monster Baby Roc!" The small bird then flew up and became 2 electric Synchro Rings, causing Ki to pick up speed and electricity as he passed through them, becoming completely enshrouded before creating a small sonic boom as he began to quickly circle around the track.

" _Never-ending storm that knows not mercy. With your overwhelming might, shape the battlefield and remove the opposition! Punish all before you, to protect what you hold dear! Synchro Summon! Strike from the Heavens, as the embodiment of my unstoppable courage! Level 10! Relentless Strength of the Trinity, Neo-Ki-Rai!"_

As the lightning burst apart, Mei and her friends were shocked to see a monster that matched her Colossal Fighter in size! With a power-filled war cry, lightning surged across his body and wings. He then matched eyes against the monster he has battled twice before now. "ALRIGHT, TIME YOU PICKED ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE!"

' _At least he isn't going crazy.'_ Takumi smiled as he continued his play. "I now use Neo-Ki's effect against Colossal Fighter! Debilitating Surge!" Ki then charged the electricity around him into his wings, then unleashed it at her Fighter. "Your monster now loses ATK equal to 100x the combined levels and Ranks of the Winged Beasts I control, and you take damage equal to half of that!"

As the lightning surged towards her, Mei looked on as it was absorbed by the light around her. "My trap is still in effect, so you can't touch me this way!"

"Like I said, I'm not worrying about effect damage, because Neo-Ki also negates the effects of the target monster. So your fighter is losing the strength it gains from the fallen as well!" Ki continued to feed lightning to Fighter who tried to block it with his arms, but it was still noticeable weakened.

3900 – 2200

"And with that, Neo-Ki-Rai now has the power to overcome both your Synchro and your life points! Alright Ki! Time end this!"

"COME ON BIG GUY! ROUND THREE!" Ki then broke of the surge and charged the opposing Synchro, who in turn charged, causing both to lock arms in a titanic power struggle. After a few seconds, they butted heads and broke off, before swinging punches at each other, some being blocked and others being taken head on, creating shock waves that sent strong winds across the chamber, causing the spectators to occasionally brace themselves. Mei watched in shock as one of her best monsters were slowly being overpowered. As Fighter took a knee after one blow, Ki raised a lightning coated arm. Just before he brought it down and destroyed Fighter, Mei lowered her head and closed her eyes, a slight smile on her face, just as the resulting shock wave shook her D-wheel and struck her life points.

Mei: 800 – 0

Winner: Takumi

As her life points ran out, her D-wheel released smoke and hit the brakes, allowing Takumi to speed away. "YEEEAAAAAAHH-HAHAHAAAA!"

Up above, Mei's friends had trouble believing what they just witnessed, while Ryuuji and Ruri were cheering for Takumi.

When he got back to the starting line, he maneuvered over to the elevators and waited for them to bring him up. On the way up, he grinned at the Trinity in front of him, Ki once again being supported, but even more so this time. _'Thanks for the help Ki, and glad you didn't go berserk this time.'_

Ki strained a little to grin at him. "Hehe… no… problem…"

Takumi looked at him in worry. _'Hey, you okay? You don't usually get this tired.'_

"Oh, don't worry. Just … not fully adjusted to… using that much power… after a workout."

Que a raised eyebrow. ' _Uh, what are you talking about?'_

"Nothing you need to worry about now." Takumi then frowned at Ao as she hurried to interrupt Ki from answering. "Now then, let's get you some rest brother, okay?" Ki, too tired to argue, simply nodded before they returned to the Spirit World.

Takumi blinked, before frowning again. ' _I hate it when they keep things from me. Ah well, not going to find out soon, so I may as well enjoy my victory!'_ And he then went back to smiling just as the others were able to see his face.

Ruri and Ryuuji were the first to walk over. "Congratulations!" "Nice work. So how was it?"

Ryuuji's question put a massive grin on Takumi's face. "It was awesome! I think I may be addicted already!"

"Good to hear." They turned to Arashi, who approached with Kiki and Seishi. "I'm a little surprised how quickly you managed to figure out Riding Duels, and that you managed to pass Mei! She's pretty competitive about this stuff, so it's a wonder you did as well as you did."

"You're telling me! I swear, every time I thought I had her monsters beat she just brings out something stronger! And now I can add another name to the list of people that I don't want to have angry with me on a regular basis."

"Is that so?" Takumi stiffened slightly at the voice, and turned to see Mei coming up on the other elevator. She then placed her helmet on her D-Wheel and walked over, with Takumi being slightly nervous at the serious look on her face. When she was close enough, she stopped and they stared at each other for a bit. Next thing he knew, Mei had a smile on her face and held out a hand to him. "Not bad for a beginner."

Taking a few seconds to process, Takumi relaxed and smiled back, shaking her hand. "Well, I did mention I'm a fast learner." He then looked up for a moment. "Wait, were you here when I said that?"

"I heard." She then crossed her arms. "Alright, I'll admit, I was wrong about you. You at least have the guts to fight your own battles, but I have to ask. Why didn't you instead go for my Command Knight? After negating their effects, you would have had a better chance at finishing me off. So why go for the monster that can revive itself?"

"It wouldn't have been as satisfying." As Mei Raised an eyebrow, Takumi elaborated. "Your Fighter was likely one of your best monsters. How would I have been satisfied ending the match with a monster that couldn't even compare to it in strength? Also, I thought it'd be better for our Synchros to have one last fight to end the match, seeing as they each brought down the other once before."

Mei blinked, then closed her eyes and chuckled before looking over to Arashi. "Alright, they get my seal of approval. Well, him at least."

Arashi smiled. "I thought that would do it."

Mei and Takumi then stared at him, before Mei narrowed her eyes at him. "Wait, did you plan this?"

"Well, you do have a habit of forgiving people only AFTER a duel of some sort."

They both continued to stare at him while Seishi chuckled off to the side, before Takumi turned to Mei. "I can see why he seems to be the one in charge. Devious to a fault." Mei simply nodded in response.

"Hahaha, don't be like that you guys! Besides, you both had fun in the end didn't you? Also, mind telling me more about that monster?" At Takumi's confused look, Arashi elaborated. "Just before you summoned Neo-Ki, your friends here got a little worried. Something we ought to know?"

Sending a quick look to a sheepish Ruri and Ryuuji, Takumi rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I'm not entirely sure what to tell you. Best I can say is that the card is so powerful that sometimes the Real Solid Vision System can get a little crazy after I use him." ' _Please, please, PLEASE let that be the end of it for now!'_

Arashi and his friends gave him critical looks for a few seconds, before Arashi smiled. "Alright then. I guess that makes sense. And definitely explain the storm that started out of nowhere earlier."

' _Haaaaahh… Thank god, I don't have to try to explain all this duel spirit stuff yet.'_

"Now then, anyone want to go next?"

Kiki then got out of her seat and stretched a little. "It's been a while since I last dueled, so maybe I should give it a go?"

Arashi just smiled, before he turned to their guests. "Alright, who wants to take on Kiki?"

"Actually," They all turned to her as she spoke. "I would like to see what you're made of." She then pointed her finger and everyone followed it to…

* * *

Surprise cliffhanger!

Before any of you get mad, I was having trouble figuring out how to end the chapter and thought it might be interesting to do something like this. So, as always, let me know what you think in whatever way you want to tell me, be it Fav, Follow, Review, or PM and I am always open to ideas on what I can do next. Also, since people seem to think I'm good at this, I will also say that anyone who is looking for ideas for their own stories, feel free to ask for advice or whatever you need, and I will do my best to be of help to you. See you guys next time with Kiki's match!

Also, the Solar and Lunar Birds of the Trinity come from story reviewer aibcareer2k, and I discussed with him about the changes I made to his idea beforehand. Hope you guys like them.

 **Heliopolis, Solar Bird of the Trinity (Winged-Beast/Light/lvl5/sc7)**

 **ATK: 1250 DEF: 1000**

When this card is summoned, banish 1 Winged Beast-type monster from your deck or graveyard. While this card is on the field, it gains half of the banished card's ATK and DEF plus 100x its level/Rank. Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can banish 1 "Trinity" spell or trap card in your graveyard: Replace this effect with that card's effect.

 **P.E.-** Once per turn, when a Winged Beast-type monster you control destroys a Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz monster in battle; you can target 1 card on the field and destroy it. Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can target 1 monster on the field; switch it to defense mode.

 **Aridhuda, Lunar Bird of the Trinity (Winged-Beast/Dark/lvl5/sc1)**

 **ATK: 1000 DEF: 1250**

Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 banished Winged Beast-type monster. This card gains half the ATK and DEF of all monsters currently Summoned by this effect, and monsters Summoned by this effect cannot attack while this card is on the field. You can only use the following effect of "Aridhuda, Lunar Bird of the Trinity" once per duel. If this card is face-up in your Extra Deck, you can banish this card and at least 1 other face-up "Trinity" Pendulum monster in your Extra Deck: your opponent gets to draw 1 card and you can activate 1 of the following effects, but you cannot summon other monsters in the same turn;

-If you banished exactly 2 other monsters, you can Fusion Summon 1 "Heart of the Trinity, Aka-Ho" from your Extra Deck.

-Synchro Summon 1 "Strength of the Trinity, Ki-Rai" from your Extra Deck and treat it as if each monster banished by this effect was used as Synchro Material for the Summon.

-Xyz Summon 1 "Soul of the Trinity, Ao-Yuki" from your Extra Deck, and for each monster banished by this effect, take the top card of your deck and attach it to the summoned monster as Xyz material.

 **P.E.-** Once per turn, when a Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Pendulum monster is summoned from the Extra Deck; draw 1 card. Once per turn, you can target 1 Winged Beast-type monster you control and apply 1 of the following effects:

-Reduce the target's ATK to 0, and increase their DEF by the amount lost until the next turn's End Phase.

-Reduce the target's DEF to 0, and increase their ATK by the amount lost until the End Phase.

 **Retaliating Winds;** Trap/normal

Activate only when your opponent declares a direct attack after a Winged Beast you control has been destroyed in battle. Special Summon 1 Winged Beast-type monster from your hand and switch each monster your opponent controls whose DEF is lower than the summoned monster's ATK to defense mode and negate their effects.

 **Wings of Liberty:** Spell/continuous

Once per turn, you can target 1 banished Winged Beast-type monster: Discard 1 card, and special summon the target monster. The summoned monster cannot attack, nor activate any effects on the turn it was summoned.


	20. The Eye in the Sky, Overwatch

And I'm back! And now we have chapter 20! Sorry for the wait on this, been busy with helping other authors as well as dealing with Real World issues and obligations. That said, I hope what I have for you this time lives up to expectations. But before that, Review Responses.

HunterHQ: As usual, thanks for the reviews and the help you provide, and your stories rock with every chapter. To anyone else reading this, go check out HunterHQ's stories if you haven't yet!

Furysong: Well said, and hope you enjoy.

Darkblade2814: That does seem interesting. Once I have something, I'll send you a PM about what I came up with.

* * *

As Kiki waited for her opponent to meet her, she went through the systems on her yellow and grey D-wheel and the current composition of her deck. "Let's see, systems seem to be in order, deck is just the way I want it today, and all that's left is for them to get down here."

"U-um, hello."

Turning her head, Kiki smiled at the nervous Ruri walking up with the same D-wheel that Takumi used. Like Takumi had, she had changed into a riding suit that was a deep purple with neon violet highlights.

"Hey there! You ready to have some fun?"

"Uh, I think so. B-But, why did you want to duel me?"

Kiki just smirked. "Tell you what, I'll answer that question at the end of the duel. Deal?"

Taking a moment to take a deep breath, she looked back at Kiki and nodded, before putting on the helmet and getting on the D-wheel.

Up above, Takumi watched with a mix of excitement and worry. "Don't we need her up here to make sure the systems work right?"

"Nah, it's okay." Seishi leaned against the railing next to him. "Kiki may prefer being tech support sometimes, but even she enjoys Riding Duels. So she made a subprogram that will take care of the track and everything."

"Okay…"

Ryuuji smirked and leaned in a little. "You sure you aren't just worried about your princess?"

He was answered by a flustered look from a red-faced Takumi, getting questioning looks from the others.

"Y-You idiot that isn't it!... Well, not entirely." Looking back down, he spoke just loud enough for Ryuuji to hear. "I already told you where I found her didn't I?"

Ryuuji looked at him seriously, then silently turned his gaze down below as well, leaving the others completely confused as to what they were just talking about.

Back with Ruri, she was mentally preparing herself for the duel. ' _Okay, relax. You can do this. Takumi and the others already explained everything about how the D-wheels work, including the auto-pilot. This will be fine.'_

"Oi!"

"Ah!?" Ruri turned to the smiling Kiki as she snapped out of her thoughts.

"Relax, girl. It's just a friendly game. Stop worrying and have some fun. Okay?"

Blinking a couple of times, Ruri managed to calm herself down enough to smile back at Kiki and nod. "Yeah."

"Awesome. Now then, I'll start the countdown on your say so."

Ruri nodded to her, then made one last check to make sure her deck was set. When she was done, she looked straight ahead. "Alright, I'm ready."

"Alright! In that case, let's go!" She then entered a command on her D-wheel and set it to the computer above, causing the stoplight and countdown to appear. As it began, Kiki spoke for the both of them. "Riding Duel, ACCELERATION!" When it hit zero and the light turned green, they sped off!

DUEL!

Kiki: 4000

Vs

Ruri: 4000

Ruri started off slightly unsteady while Kiki was as straight as an arrow, allowing her to easily move in front of her before they rounded the corner.

"Looks like the first turn is mine. To start, I summon my Morphtronic Scopen in Attack Mode!" Appearing beside her was a microscope, before it began to fold and shift until it was a robot looking figure.

Up above, Ryuuji and Takumi looked at it in surprise. "Morphtronic? Never heard of it before."

"They perfectly describe her role on our team." Turning to Arashi, they listened to what he was saying. "Morphtronics are monsters whose abilities can change depending on the situation, and her role is to be the one who anticipates and counteracts any opposition that tries to take us down. To see everything that comes our way and guide us to success."

Kiki then pulled out another card from her hand. "When normal summoned in attack mode, Scopen lets me summon a level 4 "Morphtronic" in my hand, so it's time for Boomboxen to rock out!" As a red boom box appeared, it started to play a beat for a few seconds before unfolding into another robot.

"Next, I activate the Iron Draw spell card, which lets me draw 1 card for every machine-type monster I control." After she drew 2 cards, she pulled a different one from her hand. "I now play the continuous spell Toolbox, so if I control a face-up Morphtronic, I can add a random equip spell from my deck to my hand." A card then ejected from her deck before shuffling itself.

Kiki then raised an arm towards her monsters. "Now, I tune my level 4 Boomboxen with my level 3 tuner Scopen for a Synchro Summon!"

Ruri's eyes widened in surprise. "Already?!"

Kiki's robots then jumped up into the air, Scopen turning into 3 Synchro rings before Boomboxen became 4 stars after flying through. _"Docking strength with courage to protect the world's peace! Synchro Summon! Power up, level 7! Power Tool Dragon!"_

Bursting free from the light was a large, yellow, mechanical dragon that gave out a mechanized roar. "I now use his effect to add a random equip spell from my deck to my hand!" A new card then ejected itself from her hand, causing her to smile when she saw it. "Sweet! I now activate this card, Double Tool C&D and equip it to Power Tool!"

The shovel and screwdriver on Power Tool's arms then glowed white, before bursting apart and reforming into a Chainsaw on the right and a drill on the left! "Due to the effect of this card, Power Tool's ATK goes up by 1000 during my turn!"

2300 – 3300

Ryuuji whistled from up above. "Wow. That is one sturdy dragon, even if it is a machine."

Takumi gripped the edge of the railing in anticipation. "It may be big, but size isn't everything. Ruri can handle this."

"Are you sure?" Takumi glanced back at Ryuuji as they shared a look, once again earning confused glances from the other 3 up there with them, before they went back to watching.

Back with Kiki, she pulled one more card from her hand. "I set one card face-down and end my turn, shutting down the boost that comes from C&D." At that, the drill arm shifted slightly back as the saw arm moved slightly forward.

3300 – 2300

"Alright Ruri, it's your turn. Show me what you can do!"

Ruri took a quick look at the Dragon Kiki was using, before shaking her head. ' _Stop it, stop worrying. I need to focus on what I can do, not what she can do.'_ She then opened her eyes again and reached for her deck. "My turn, I draw!" Looking through the cards in her hand, she smiled a little and pulled out a card.

"I start by summoning my Lyrical Luscinia Cobalt Sparrow!" Appearing beside her was a brown feathered bird-girl. When she opened her eyes, they were revealed to be a deep cobalt as she sang a soft song.

Up above, Ryuuji began to snicker, much to Takumi's confusion. "What are you thinking now?"

He then turned to him with a smirk. "Oh, nothing. Just taking note that your princess is also a winged beast user."

For a few moments, Takumi didn't move a millimeter, before quickly banging his head against the railing. "Urgh, when will the karma from teasing Yuya and Yuzu end already?" As Ryuuji had a laugh at his expense, the other three just sweat-dropped at their behavior.

Back with Ruri, she was pulling out more cards from her hand. "If I control a Winged Beast-type monster, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia Sapphire Swallow from my hand with another Lyrical Luscinia, like the second Cobalt Sparrow in my hand!" Appearing with the new Sparrow was a blue feathered girl that was wearing what looked like a tuxedo with its own bright sapphire eyes, the both of them singing as they appeared.

"When Cobalt Sparrow is Special Summoned, I can add another Cobalt Sparrow from my deck to my hand. I now use the effect of the second Sapphire Swallow in my hand to summon it with the added Sparrow!" Just like that, Ruri had a full field of monsters, despite their low levels and ATKs. Once all 5 were out, they sang a small harmony that put smiles on everyone listening.

Even Kiki was smiling a little. "Not bad girl, but that isn't enough to bring down my Dragon."

Ruri smiled a little before pulling another card. "I activate the spell card Wing Requital. By paying 600 life points, I can draw 1 card for every Winged Beast I control. This gets me 5 more cards." Her Luscinias sang once more as she paid her life points and drew her cards.

Ruri: 4000 – 3400

Mei looked at her in surprise. "Woah, you not only got a full field, but managed to get six cards in your hand again?! Not bad!"

"Thank you. Now, I'll show you what the Xyz Dimension can do. I now take my 5 level 1 Luscinias and build the overlay network!" Her monsters gave out one more harmony before turning into green lights and diving into a portal.

" _Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield, and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia – Assembly Nightingale!"_

Out came a beautifully dressed monster that had white feathers and wore light blue and yellow dress-like clothes, singing even more beautifully than the previous monsters were together.

While everyone watched and listened in awe, Takumi had a thought. ' _Hey Ao, you there?'_

Said spirit then appeared on his shoulder. "You called?"

' _Isn't this the monster you said Ki was interested in?'_

She then turned her gaze to the bird in question and smirked on recognizing her. "Indeed. She's quite good at singing, not to mention how pretty Ki seems to think she is, not to mention her kindness to others."

' _Hehe, just wanted to make sure. You wanna watch this?'_

"I think I can spare some time for this." Ao then flew up onto the railing in front of them and got herself comfortable as they focused their attention on the duel.

Kiki was still in awe for 2 reasons. Number one, was the monster itself, but the other reason was for something else. "So this is what an Xyz Summon is? Interesting, but the monster itself isn't very strong."

Ruri then took a slight breath before she continued. "Assembly Nightingale gains 100 ATK points for every one of her overlay units."

0 – 500

Kiki just frowns as the monster still isn't impressing her. "I do hope you know what you're doing, because my Dragon still has far more ATK points than your Nightingale. And thanks to C&D's effect, if our monsters battle now, your will be destroyed no matter what."

Ruri then smiled back at Kiki. "Then it's a good thing Nightingale's effect lets me attack you directly while she has overlay units!"

"What?!"

"Also, she can attack once for every overlay unit, so Nightingale is about to attack you directly 5 times! Go! The first attack!" Nightingale the flapped her wings, sending strong winds past Power Tool and straight at Kiki, causing her to waver on her D-wheel.

4000 – 3500

"Next, the second attack!"

3500 – 3000

"The third!"

3000 – 2500

"The fourth!"

2500 – 2000

"And finally, the fifth!"

2000 – 1500

With each attack, the winds seemed to feel even stronger than the last, causing Kiki to shake just a little more. But by the end of it all, Kiki couldn't help but smile at Ruri's move. Slightly surprised, Ruri shook her head a little to clear her thoughts and grabbed another card from her hand. "I end my turn with a face-down card. Your turn."

"Haha. Nice move Ruri. I didn't think you'd be able to remove more than half my life points in a single turn! It's been a while since I've seen a move that can completely bypass my defenses like that! But…" Kiki then got a slightly somber look that set Ruri on edge a little. "There's something in your eyes that I just don't like."

"Huh?"

Kiki continued to look her in the eyes, before taking a deep breath. "Yeah, it feels like a bird that's been caged for so long, it's scared of being free." At her words, Ruri's eyes widened, but she continued before she could even think to say anything. "I can tell. You are filled with worry about what's going to happen next. And that won't do. If you spend all your time worrying about what can happen, you won't be able to change what will happen. And now that I have an idea about what your deck can do, it's time I turned it up a notch!"

Up above, Takumi got a little worried about what Kiki was saying, then heard Seishi talking. "Here she goes."

Confused, he turned to him. "What?"

Seishi shrugged. "When Kiki duels, she uses her first turn to gauge the abilities of her opponent, then determines the best way to defeat them on the following turns. I know I thought Mei would beat you in your duel, but with Kiki it becomes a little more difficult. Especially when she isn't dueling for the fun of it."

Down below: "My turn. I draw! And since it is now my turn again, C&D's effect shifts!" Power Tool's saw arm then slowed down slightly as it's drill arm sped up.

2300 - 3300

Looking at the card she drew, she then took a different one from her hand. "I activate the Tuning spell card. This lets me Take any tuner monster from my deck and add it to my hand, so long as I then discard the top card of my deck. I now add the level 1 Morphtronic Smartfon to my hand." As she then took the top card for the discard, she then smiled. "I now banish the Celfon that I just discarded to summon Smartfon!" Appearing was a large Smartphone, that then unfolded like her previous monsters did.

"I'll now use the effects of Toolbox and Power Tool to add 2 random equip cards from my deck to my hand." Her deck then shuffled itself before ejecting a card. As she took the card, it did so again. "Nice, but I think I'll save these. For now, I'll have my Power Tool Dragon attack your Nightingale!"

Ruri then held an arm out. "Then I'll use Nightingale's effect. When this card battles a monster, I can remove one overlay unit to negate her destruction and reduce the damage to 0!"

"Nice effect, but I'm afraid you can't. When a monster equipped with C&D attacks on my turn, the attack target can't use any of its effects during the Battle Phase, including the one that increases her ATK!"

500 – 0

"What?!" Ruri watched helplessly, as Nightingale attempted to stop Power Tool using one of its overlay units, only for the mechanical dragon to destroy it with its drill arm and to strike it straight into her, causing Nightingale to be destroyed and for a large shockwave to hit Ruri. "AARGH!"

Ruri: 3400 – 100

As Ruri struggled to maintain control of her D-wheel, Takumi watched with baited breath as his hands gripped the railing tightly. After a moment, she regained control and was taking a few calming breathes.

"Are you okay there?" Ruri opened the eyes she didn't even realize she closed, and looked back at the expression on Kiki's face, seeing the concern that was there.

"Y-yeah, just a little shaken."

"Okay, well it isn't over yet. I still have my Smartfon, and his 100 ATK is just enough to finish this. Go!" Her monster then charged at Ruri.

"I don't think so! I activate my face-down, Xyz Reborn! This will allow me to revive my Nightingale and attach this card to her as an overlay unit!" As Nightingale returned singing in a burst of light, the trap then turned into a single green overlay unit that began to orbit her, causing Smartfon to stop in its tracks.

0 – 100

"Oh, not bad Ruri. I thought I had gotten rid of it, but now here it is again. But, I did plan for something like this. So now I'll be activating my own face-down, the trap card Urgent Tuning!"

Ruri's eyes widened, remembering the trap from the last duel and what it meant. "Oh no!"

"Oh yes! Now I'll tune my level 7 Power Tool with my level 1 Smartfon!" Her monsters then flew up, with Smartfon becoming a single Synchro Ring as Power Tool became 7 stars as it flew through.

" _Steel dragon that protects the weak, bathe in the light of creation! Cast aside your metal hide, and end the time of war! Synchro Summon! Be reborn, level 8! Life Stream Dragon!"_

Appearing with a roar was a more organic version of the previous monster, as if it had simply shed off the metal hide to reveal its true form. As it emerged, it spread its wings and cast light on everyone at once. "When summoned, Life Stream restores the life points of everyone with 2000 or less up to 2000, and neither player takes effect damage while he's on the field. Appreciate this gift Ruri, because it's the only one I'm giving you in this duel!"

Kiki: 1500 – 2000

Ruri: 100 – 2000

"And since it is still the Battle Phase, Life Stream will now attack Nightingale! Go forth!" Her new dragon then began to charge up energy in its mouth, before releasing it in a powerful beam of energy aimed right at Ruri's monster.

Getting over her previous surprise, Ruri focused back on the duel. "I-I activate Nightingale's effect! She survives and I take no damage!" Nightingale then absorbed one of her overlay units and a barrier of wind formed around them both, blocking the dragon's attack completely.

100 – 0

"Man, you really do know how to hang in there. But, this won't keep you in this much longer. I'll end the Battle Phase and activate the Junk Box spell card! With it, I revive Scopen and Boomboxen!" Both monsters then appeared in bursts of light. "But they won't be staying for long, because I'm about to Synchro Summon again!" Once more her monsters turned into Synchro rings and stars.

" _Powerful machine filled with metallic rage. Rain down destructive fury upon your foes! Synchro Summon! Power up and destroy, level 7! Power Tool Mecha Dragon!"_

Appearing was a monster that was similar to her first Power Tool, but this one was darker and more menacing, with glowing red eyes and circuit markings that spread across its body. It then released a metallic roar that promised the destruction of all, greatly contrasting the Kiki's other Synchros and the protective presence they gave off.

Ruri looked at the monster in fear, reminded of the images of Ancient Gear monsters that ran rampant across her home of Heartland, and fought to shake off the memories while Kiki continued her turn.

"I now discard the Power Converter equip spell to activate Armed Changer and equip it to Mecha." The equip spell causing Mecha's shovel arm to gain a soft glow. "Now, if Mecha destroys a monster in battle, I can return any monster in my graveyard with less ATK than him to my hand. But right now, I just want to use Mecha's effect to let me draw one card after equipping him with a card." As she looked at the card she drew, she smiled, then set it on her field with another card from her hand. "I end my turn with 2 cards face-down. Your turn Ruri."

Ruri looks back at Kiki, and takes another glance at Mecha before looking away again, trying to take calming breathes. 'It's okay, they aren't here, I can do this.' Nodding to herself, Ruri looked up again. "My turn. I draw."

Looking through her hand, Ruri had an idea that could win this for her, despite the dragons she had to get past. Nodding to herself, she pulled a pair of cards from her hand. "Since I control a Winged Beast, I can activate the effect of the **Lyrical Luscinia – Ruby Robin** in my hand, to special summon it with the Turquoise Warbler in my hand!"

Warbler was a monster that looked slightly more childish than the earlier Sparrows and Swallows, while Robin was a monster that looked like a red feathered Swallow. Both sang as they appeared.

 **Lyrical Luscinia – Ruby Robin (Winged Beast-type/Wind/lvl1)**

 **ATK 100 DEF 0**

Ruri then pulled another card from her hand. "When Warbler is Special Summoned, I can summon another Luscinia from my hand, like my **Emerald Finch**!" Now a monster with bright green feathers that looked like Sparrow was out on the field, singing like the rest.

 **Lyrical Luscinia – Emerald Finch (Winged Beast-type/Wind/lvl1)**

 **ATK 0 DEF 100**

"When Finch is Special Summoned, I can add another Luscinia to my hand. I now summon the added Turquoise Warbler!" As the second warbler took to the field, Nightingale led the rest of her monsters in a beautiful harmony. When they were done Ruri continued her turn. "I will now take my 4 Luscinias and build a new overlay network!" The mentioned monsters then dived into a new portal as 4 green lights.

" _Birds with beautiful wings! Flock together, and recite the song to soothe the savage beast! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia – Recite Starling!"_

Appearing was a majestic bird monster whose black-and-blue feathers and clothing were detailed with stars. As she opened her eyes, she then raised her wings and sang a beautiful song that even caused the mechanisms of Mecha to quiet down, the machine looking at it quizzically, and Life Stream seeming to close its eyes with a smile as it listened.

Ruri smiled, as the song also soothed her own nerves. "If Ruby Robin is used to Xyz Summon a Wind monster, I can then take any Lyrical Luscinia in my graveyard and equip it to the summoned monster, so I'll take one of my Cobalt Sparrows and attach it to Starling!" A red light then shone out of her graveyard, releasing the spirit of one of her Sparrows, which quickly turned into a green overlay unit for Starling. "Now, when Starling is Xyz Summoned, I can increase the ATK of one monster on the field by 300 for each of her overlay units. I choose Nightingale!" Starling then recited a song, which Nightingale mirrored as her ATK went up.

0 – 1500

Up above, the audience was confused, Seishi scratching the side of his head. "Why would she increase Nightingale's ATK? I thought it couldn't attack without one of those overlay unit thingies?"

"Seishi would be correct." Takumi looked at Ao next to him, as she looked on with a slight smile on her face. "But Nightingale isn't through yet. And neither is Ruri."

Ruri then pulled another card from her hand. "I now activate the spell card Xyz Gift. With it, I draw 1 card for every Xyz monster I control, giving me 2 cards." She then placed a hand on the top 2 cards of her deck, took a deep breath, and drew them.

Seeing what she got, her face lit up with a smile. "Yes! I activate the spell cards Instant Overlay and Overlay Regen! First, Instant Overlay becomes an overlay unit for an Xyz monster without any. Then, Overlay Regen becomes an overlay unit for any Xyz monster I control. This lets me give 2 new overlay units to Nightingale, increasing her ATK and allowing her to attack directly twice!" As both spells turned into green overlay units and began to orbit Nightingale, the monster let out a song as her ATK grew yet again!

1500 – 1700

The Misfits up above were surprised at the move, while Ryuuji grinned and Takumi cheered with Ao. Back with Kiki, she raised an eyebrow with a grin. "Oh?"

Ruri then aimed a finger at Kiki. "Assembly Nightingale! Attack Kiki directly!" Nightingale then flew up a little higher and flapped her wings, releasing a strong wind at Kiki.

Kiki smirked at the attack. "I activate my trap card, Superior Protector, and equip it to Life Stream!" Her dragon then gained a white glow, before the dragon moved in the way of the attack, blocking it completely! "While equipped to a monster, I can only take battle damage if it involves the equipped monster. So attack me directly as many times as you want. So long as Life Stream is in play, the damage becomes 0!"

"What?!" Ruri then looks at the cards she has at her disposal, and what Kiki had on her field. 'Uh, um, ugh, how can I win this?!' She then paused, and looked back at Starling's card, then looked at Kiki's side. 'Wait, that can work. I might not win, but maybe I can prevent her from winning! I don't have any other options, it's now or nothing!'

Taking a deep breath, Ruri opened her eyes in near desperation. "I now attack Life Stream Dragon with Recite Starling!" Starling then flew up and sang a song, shocking everyone at what Ruri was doing.

Kiki herself was starting to feel worried for Ruri. "Oi, what are you doing?! You only have 2000 life points left! Are you seriously just having your monster with no ATK points battle my Dragon?!"

Ruri didn't waver at all as she continued. "When my Xyz summoned Starling is involved in damage calculation, my opponent takes the same battle damage that I do!"

Kiki's eyes widen in shock. "What was that?!"

"I might not be able to win against you, but maybe I can at least bring you down with me! Go, Recite Starling! Requiem Recital!" Starling then continued ascend, singing until she reached the roof, then sang some more as she dived in a spiral aimed at Life Stream, who raised his large right hand to intercept. As they made contact, a powerful gale spread across the room, causing everyone to shield their eyes.

Ruri: 2000 – 0

As Ruri's D-wheel released its brakes, she looked around breathing tiredly, the last attack knocking the wind out of her. 'I got her. Starlings effect would have reduced her life points the same as mine. I couldn't win it, but I was at least able to get it to a dra-!' Ruri's train of thought abruptly ended, as she saw Kiki ahead of her, her monsters still in play.

Kiki: 1400

"What?! How do you still have life points?!"

Kiki gave her a sad smile in response as she sofltly explained. "Sorry Ruri, but I still had another face-down. The quick-play spell Swords at Dawn. With it, I can equip a monster on my field with an Equip spell in my graveyard, such as the Power Converter I discarded to activate Armed Charger. And using Converter's effect, I reduced the ATK of the equipped monster, in this case Power Tool Mecha Dragon, to 0, and sending Converter back to the graveyard, I then gain life points equal to the lost ATK.

Power Tool Mecha: 2300 – 0

Kiki: 2000 – 4300 – 1400

Winner: Kiki

"No way…" Ruri just looked at her in shock, before lowering her head and shutting her eyes.

Kiki looked at her for a few moments as her monsters disappeared, before bringing up a radio to the others. "Hey, give me a minute or two." She then used some of her codes and shut down all means of talking to either of them from the platform, surprising everyone up there.

Kiki then dismounted her D-wheel and walked over to where Ruri was still sulking over her loss. She then leaned back against the handle bars to Ruri's left. "So, this goes beyond your hometown being invaded, doesn't it?" Ruri's head shot up in surprise, Kiki seeing the beginnings of tears in her eyes. Kiki just continued to smile kindly at her. "This world has had its own share of unfairness and trauma, and I've seen quite a few people who know have been impacted by such things. Which is why, I can tell you have too." Ruri looked away at that. "I'm not going to push. If you don't want to tell me, then you don't have too. But at least hear this. My role here, is to identify and anticipate weak points, in order to either reinforce our own or take advantage of the enemy's. Right now, your own fear is a major weak point." She then reached out to Ruri's hand where it was still tightly clenching the handlebar, getting the frightened girl to look her in the eye. "Unless you surpass yourself, and overcome that weakness with strength. So don't look at this as a loss. Because without loss, we can't learn and grow. And as for your earlier question, I wanted to duel you, for this very reason."

After a few moments, Kiki started to walk back to her D-wheel, leaving Ruri with her thoughts. 'Can I? Can I really get over these fears of mine?' Ruri then looked at the rest of the cards she had, then stopped at one of the ones in her hand. 'That card… Icarus Attack... If I had set it and waited instead of attacking with Starling…!' Ruri looked back at Kiki as she started up her D-wheel and started moving it to the elevators. 'I was so worried about what she would do on her turn, that I didn't even think about what I could do on her turn…' Ruri then looked down again, but this time in thought. After a few moments, she took a deep breath and began to maneuver her D-wheel to the elevators.

When she reached the top, she hesitated to look at Takumi. "I'm sorry. I guess I lost."

She was then surprised when a hand was placed on her shoulder and looked up to see kind understanding on Takumi's face. "It's alright. Everyone losses at some point. The important part, is getting back up and being ready for the next time."

As Ruri gained a small smile, Takumi took note of Ao on his shoulder. "Awe, how sweet of you."

 _'Oh shut it. How about you go pick on Ki again or something?'_

"Hehe, very well." Ao then returned to the Spirit world while he continued to comfort Ruri.

"Still, that was pretty good." They both turned to Ryuuji. "Using low leveled/ranked monsters to bypass an opponent's defenses and wipe out their life points is pretty difficult to prepare against, and for you to be able to constantly fill your field with monsters is impressive. If your opponent hadn't been the calculating type, I imagine you would have won that duel easily."

Ruri looked down, still holding a small smile. "Thank you, though I still feel a bit bad about losing."

"Well we can't have that." They all looked over to the Misfits and Seishi's grin. "So how about I make it so you aren't the only one to lose among you?"

Ryuuji smirked as he stepped forward. "Is that a challenge?"

Seishi stepped forward as well. "Who knows? I am rather confidant in my abilities."

"What a coincidence, so am I." Ryuuji then turned to Takumi and Ruri. "Be right back." He then walked over to the changing room for a riding suit as Seishi grinned and asked Kiki to bring up his Wheel.

* * *

And next time is Ryuuji vs Seishi. To everyone who was hoping for Ruri to gain a victory, I am sorry to disappoint you, but from my perspective, she would still be having issues about her time in Academia and having it interfere with her judgement at times. And I would like to give a big thank you to HunterHQ for helping me figure out how the duel would go.

Now as for cards used, there are a lot of cards that either come from Manga or Anime, use effects specifically from Manga or Anime, and the OC Lyrical Luscinia cards use the OCG effects of Cobalt Sparrow and Sapphire Swallow.

Now I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and I promise to get the next one out as soon as I am able. Let me know how I did and if you think anything can be improved or even if you have a question/request with either PM or review, and show support for this story with either a follow or favorite. See you guys next time.


	21. A Phantom's Persistence

A/N: Yes, I'm still alive. No, I have not forgotten this story. This one has been a little crazy trying to finish up and gave me a few issues but I finally reached a point that I feel okay with posting. Sorry that it took so long to get this out to you guys, and hope you enjoy.

 **HunterHQ:** Thanks for the input. Your reviews mean a lot to me, and always willing to let others know about your own stories.

 **Martyn:** I gotta say, I like the idea. Couldn't see a way for him to do it with the misfits, but I definitely want to find a way to incorporate that idea later on. Maybe have him be influenced by one of the Trinity at some point. Thanks for the review, and hope to hear more from you.

* * *

In the spirit world, Blade Burner could only look in understanding at the situation him and the other spirits were in.

After Ki was released from his own punishment, his siblings gave similar punishments to those who teased him. Roughly half of the spirits there, including Burner himself, were frozen up to their heads by Ao's ice, and the other half were sweating under cages of fire, courtesy of Aka. Apparently, since they were all so amused at what Ki was going through, it was decided that they should all be punished accordingly.

Burner himself could only agree with the ordeal, seeing as he never approved of the ideal in the first place… Even if he didn't really try and stop it.

He then glanced over to the side and spied on Zerofyne, lying on her back under the flames with a proud look that declared "I regret nothing.", which everyone knew to be true since she said so moments after she was placed in the cage.

That said, neither of the two minded the positions they were placed in, and even the rest of the spirits decided to accept their temporary confinement. That said, there was one thing that they wished the Trinity would have done when they distributed the punishments…

"LET ME OUT OF HEREEEEEEEE!"

That they had moved Red-Eyes to the other side of the domain.

While Everyone else received bindings of ice and cages of flame, RE got a slightly stricter punishment as the ringleader. Namely, the jar shaped like a dragon's head that now had his glowing red eyes.

As Red-Eyes started another bout of complaining and demanding release from within the Dragon Capture Jar, the rest of the spirits (with exception to Burner and Zerofyne) just let out exasperated sighs and groans. Being stuck in one place for extended periods of time is one thing, but listening to someone complaining constantly and not having the ability to make them shut up was something that they didn't think would be so annoying until it happened to them.

Burner glanced at the Jar just a few meters away from him, then closed his eyes with a sigh. "Nothing has changed at all since you were placed inside there, and no amount of complaining will get you out any earlier."

The light in the Jar's eyes seemed to glow even more. "Shut it! You at least have the ability to SEE YOUR SURROUNDINGS! Do you have any idea what it's like being stuck in a jar?! Not only am I unable to move, BUT I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING! Seriously, it's nothing but black I here! I can't even let out a tiny flare to see MY OWN SNOUT! I can't even tell where your voice is coming from BECAUSE IT'S COMING FROM EVERYWHERE AT ONCE IN HERE! THIS IS HOW SPIRITS GO MAD!"

Burner simply shook his head. "Very well, but the rest of us DO hear you. Every word, and every complaint. So if you won't stop for your own sake, perhaps you can at least quiet down for the rest of them?"

"…" The Jar was silent for a few moments, making many watch in silent hope that part of their punishment was finally over.

"… As soon as someone tells me why they even HAVE A DRAGON CAPTURE JAR IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Just about every spirit hoping for peace and quiet hung their heads in misery at the response while Burner let out another sigh, before an unexpected voice caught their attention.

"It's a bit of a long story."

Silence reigned as the spirits all looked up at Aka's arrival, flying down to land in between Burner and Zerofyne, and facing the Jar. "The easiest way is to say that there are a few Dragons that we didn't necessarily get along with, so we looked into ways of protecting ourselves from them. The Jars may be old, but it seems they are still quite effective."

The Jar seemed to blink at the new arrivals words. "Wait, Aka? What are you doing here? Is my punishment- I mean, our punishments, over already?!"

Aka smirked at the Red-Eyed jar. "Well, seeing as your keeper is about to engage an opponent, I thought it would be best if you were allowed to stand beside him instead of being stuck in a Jar. Therefore, we will be letting you out early." Aka then walked up to the Jar and rested a few of his Ruby feathers against the side, letting a little energy flow into it.

After a moment, the Jar's eyes dimmed and a burst of red energy shot out of the top. The energy soon began to take shape, and burst apart to reveal Red-Eyes, giving a roar of delight. He then shook his head from side to side to orient himself. "Urgh, thank you Lord Aka. Those things are absolutely the WORST for a dragon."

"I believe it. Now then, I believe you have somewhere to be."

RE nodded to him. "Of course. Thank you." The black dragon then flapped his wings and took off for Ryuuji's side.

"Hmm. I do wonder how he'll get along with his new friends." Aka smiled, then turned to the Jar. "As for these, if they can hold down someone like him, then they might come in handy after all. Though just to be sure…"

* * *

Ryuuji, now wearing a black suit with crimson highlights, was down on the track with Seishi waiting nearby. "So, going by your codename, I assume you'll be something ghost or zombie related?"

"Haha, wow. Is it really that easy to guess?"

Ryuuji just smirked at him. "Certainly, since you just confirmed it."

"Oh, I like you. Shame you have to lose to me."

"Please. I was top of my class at Academia, a school that polished our dueling skills to be able to crush any opponent, and sent as an advance agent to other worlds. You don't stand a chance against me."

"Oh really? Well, I may not be trained to fight, but I learned how to survive, and there is no better teacher than experience. You've been on the run for, what, a little under a week? Me and my friends have been at this for YEARS now."

This went on for a few moments before Kiki used the speakers in the room to blare out "GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!", prompting them to shut up and get into positions, slight amounts of fear in their expressions.

Ryuuji then spared another glance at Seishi and whispered to him. "She always like that?"

Seishi paled slightly and glanced back at him. "You do realize she PROGRAMMED every aspect of this place and our equipment? Including the Mic in your helmet?"

Ryuuji widened his eyes and looked at his display, just as an image of an irked Kiki popped up in front of him. "Uh, sorry about that."

Kiki just narrowed her eyes and shut off the video feed. Shaking the thoughts from his head, Ryuuji made the final checks over his equipment and his deck. 'Okay then, I should just focus on the duel. That said,' He then glanced over at Seishi, who didn't look like he had a care in the world at the moment. 'I don't think this will be TOO difficult. Granted, they do have experience, and each side has one win and one loss. But I'm confident in my ability to outmaneuver and overpower anything he throws at me, especially with how carefree he looks. My only losses since becoming an advance agent have been from Takumi, someone from Standard with every one of the summoning techniques thus making him a wildcard in what he will do next. But these guys only have Synchro in their arsenal, so once I get a feel for it, I should be able to beat them.'

After a few more moments, Ryuuji gave the all clear that he was ready and prepared to ride, while Seishi only smirked from his own ready position. The countdown than began, as Kiki started calling it out. "Riding duel; ACCELERATION!"

As soon as the green light was out, Ryuuji set the Wheel to max acceleration, shooting ahead with Seishi right by his side. They quickly moved to the first turn where Ryuuji was able to get the inside of, putting him just ahead with the first turn!

"I'll start things off! You've seen Takumi's Synchro, and Ruri's Xyz. Now get ready to see what Fusion can do! I activate the spell card Red-Eyes Fusion! I now get to Fusion Summon a monster that uses a "Red-Eyes" card as material, by sending the required materials from my hand, field, or even my deck to the graveyard!" 2 cards then ejected from his deck, and he pulled them out and revealed them. "I'll use Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Summoned Skull from my deck as the materials!"

The 2 monsters then appeared besides him and gave out a cry, before flying up into a fusion portal. _"Legendary dragon with eyes of red, join together with the demon of the underworld! Unleash the potential with you, and forge a power of absolute dread! Fusion Summon! Arise, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!"_

As the demonic dragon made its appearance, it gave out a menacing roar that had everyone save for Takumi recoiling from the power behind it. As for Takumi, he gave a slight chuckle. "Ah, I remember that thing. It isn't pretty in appearance or ability, and believe me, I've had to take that thing down before. Hope Seishi can handle it."

Meanwhile, Seishi was looking up at the monster in question. "Well now, this is interesting. I may have spirits from the beyond, but you seem to have demons of the underworld at your beck and call."

Ryuuji turned back at him. "They aren't that scary when you know how to deal with them. I now set 1 card facedown and end my turn."

Seishi smirked at him. "Why thank you. I draw." Seishi then looked through his hand, then pulled out a card. "I'll start by playing my Gold Sarcophagus." On activation, a large golden box appeared behind him. "I now get to take any card in my deck and banish it face-up. Then, on my second Standby Phase after playing this, I get to add the banished card to my hand. From my deck, I banish my Shiranui Spiritmaster!" A priestly looking figure with eyes closed and hands together in prayer appeared above the sarcophagus, as the lid of said sarcophagus began to open and tendrils of light then began to reach out and grab onto the monster.

Seishi then pointed out a finger. "At this moment, the effect of my Spiritmaster activates! Wen banished, he allows me to destroy 1 card controlled by my opponent! So now," He then aimed his finger at Black Skull. "I'll have him destroy that demonic dragon of yours!" Spiritmaster then moved one of his hands and held it out, the other hand still in place and eyes still closed. Blue fire then began to gather in the open palm, before it shot towards Ryuuji's dragon like a flamethrower!

In response, Ryuuji held out a hand of his own. "I activate my face-down, De-Fusion! With it, I split my Dragon into its component monsters!" Black Skull then glowed, before dissipating, causing the blue flames to surge past where it was prior. The energy then gathered in 2 points, coalescing into Red-Eyes and Summoned Skull.

Seishi smiled at his move as Spiritmaster went into the sarcophagus. "Nice! Fusion does seem to have a few tricks up their sleeves. That said, we Synchro users aren't exactly pushovers either! Now then, I activate the continuous card Everliving Underworld Cannon!" At that, light began to gather at the back of Seishi's D-Wheel, coalescing into a sort of cannon made of bones from all sorts of different creatures, and held together by chains. "Next, I play the field spell Shiranui Synthesis!" A blue aura then pulsed out across the track, filling the entire chamber with a light blue glow. "Finally, I activate the continuous spell Card of Safe Return."

Ryuuji looked about at the area in question, as Seishi continued. "Like what you see so far? If not, then try this! I now activate the effect of my field spell and send 1 card from my hand to the graveyard, then select 1 of 2 effects. I choose to Special Summon 1 Zombie-type monster in my graveyard with 0 DEF."

Ryuuji turned his head to look at him in question. "What? But you shouldn't have any monsters in your graveyard."

Seishi just smirked at him. "Oh? Then tell me, what did I just discard?" At Ryuuji's look of realization, he raised his hand above his head. "I now revive the Shiranui Solitaire I just discarded!" Appearing in a flurry of blue flames was a long-haired man dressed like a monk, wielding a Khakkhara in his right hand. "Now the effects of my spell cards activate! First, because a Zombie-type monster was just Special Summoned, once per turn, my Cannon can hit you for 800 points of damage! Also, since a monster was just summoned from the graveyard, my Card of Safe return allows me to draw 3 new cards!"

Ryuuji's eyes widened in surprise at the effects Seishi was using, and watched as he drew his new cards and the cannon on the back of his D-Wheel began to gather energy. A moment later, it fired a shot in the shape of a laughing skull! As it approached, Ryuuji swerved his D-Wheel enough for it to land just at his side, changing it to a glancing blow, even if the damage remains the same.

Ryuuji: 4000 – 3200

Seishi then looks through his new cards, and pulls one out. "I now normal summon my Shiranui Smith!" Out came a monster wielding a blacksmith's hammer and garbed in white cloth. "I now activate Solitaire's effect and tribute him to summon a Zombie-type tuner with 0 DEF! Goodbye for now Solitaire, and say hello to Shiranui Spectralsword!" The latest arrival took the form of a floating katana. After a few moments, bright blue flames flowed off the blade and coalesced into a regally dressed figure.

Ryuuji looked at the monster in recognition. "A tuner. That means…"

"You got that right! I now tune my level 4 Smith with my level 2 Spectralsword!" The spirit of the sword then raised its arms and disappeared as the sword shot straight up, letting 2 Synchro Rings descend above Smith. " _With the sacred blade that carries the ancient spirits, unleash the fire within and invoke the will of the honored warrior! Synchro Summon! Turn up the heat, level 6! Shiranui Samuraisaga!"_

From the beam of Synchro light, a burst of blue fire shot out, revealing a man in orange and black clothing bearing and flame-styled blade on his hip along with the same katana from before in his hand, with the spirit of that sword ghosting behind him.

Ryuuji narrowed his eyes at the Synchro monster. "It has more attack points than my dragon…"

"That's right, and it will use each and every one to take it down! Samuraisaga! Slay his dragon!" Seishi's Synchro monster then leapt at Red-Eyes. He then slashed the katana along it's flank, eliciting a pain-filled roar as the dragon was destroyed.

Ryuuji: 3200 – 3100

"Huh, not bad. But not good enough either. I activate the effect of the Red-Eyes Retro Dragon in my hand! When a level 7 or lower "Red-Eyes" monster I control is destroyed, I can summon this card from my hand and revive the destroyed monster. Return, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" As his signature dragon reappeared, a new smaller dragon appeared with rust-red highlights across its form.

Seishi just smirked. "Actually, this works out for me too. My Card of Safe Return works when you revive a monster as well, so now I'll be taking 3 more cards!"

Ryuuji looked in surprise as Seishi increased his hand yet again. 'Seriously? That effect lets him draw no matter who revives a monster!? This can become an issue.'

Seishi looks through the cards he has to work with, and pulls out 2. "I think I'll end my turn with a pair of face-downs. You're up Ryuuji."

Ryuuji glances back at Seishi's Synchro monster, then looks ahead again. "My move. I draw." Looking at the card, he immediately plays it. "I activate the spell card Dragon's Gunfire. Since I control a Dragon-type monster, I can now choose between 1 of 2 effects. I choose to destroy one monster with 800 or less DEF. Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Take out Samuraisaga!"

Red-Eyes then began to charge a fireball in its mouth, before discharging it at the Synchro monster, only for it to be blocked by blue flames surging around the monster as Seishi smirked. "I'll admit, that is an interesting card effect. But how about instead of just losing my monster, I get to make him useful? I activate my face-down, Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai to tribute a FIRE monster, namely my Samuraisaga, in order to deal damage equal to his original ATK!"

Ryuuji's eyes widened in shock. "What!?" He then watched as the blue flames around the Synchro monster intensified, as it raised its sword and brought it down, sending a wave of blue fire to strike him. "GAH!"

Ryuuji: 3100 – 700

Ryuuji looked back at Seishi. "Impressive counter, but the results remain the same. You now have no monsters protecting your life points, and I still have 3 monsters waiting to attack! I now switch Retro Dragon to attack mode!" The smaller dragon let out a shrill cry at that as it moved into a more offensive position. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Start the assault with Inferno Fire Blast!" His dragon then prepared a more powerful fireball and released it at Seishi.

"Haha, did you really think I would leave myself defenseless? I activate my Synchro Zone trap card!" As the trap activated, a pulse of energy was released and snuffed out Red-Eyes' attack. "While active, all attacks from a non-Synchro monster are negated!"

Ryuuji clenched his teeth at the defensive card, reminded of Academia's Fusion Trench. 'This guy is better than I thought. I need to be more careful around his cards. So maybe I should get rid of a few of them.' He then pulled a card from his hand. "I now activate the spell card A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon. This will return my Red-Eyes to my hand, then destroy every spell and trap in play! Come on back partner!" Red-Eyes then roared as he flapped his wings, creating a gust of wind that destroyed all of Seishi's activate Spells and Traps, removing the blue aura in the room and destroying the cannon perched on his D-Wheel.

"Ah shoot. All it would have taken was a single special summon on my part and you would have been toast. Ah well, guess I just need to use a different card to finish this. Got anything else for me?"

Ryuuji glared at Seishi from ahead and turned back to the front. "I set 1 card face-down and end my turn."

Up above, Takumi was watching interest at how many of Ryuuji's moves were being countered. "Wow. After hearing the bit about him and the codenames, I figured he might be the most easygoing of the group, but I didn't think he'd be able to hold Ryuuji back as well as he's been doing so far!"

Kiki smiled from her seat. "He may be the most childish of us, but he is also quite tenacious. Shiranui cards may be offensively based, but they have plenty of defensive uses as well. Moral of the story, do not take Phantoms lightly."

Seishi grinned at Ryuuji. "Alright then, my draw!" Looking at the card he drew, he placed it in his hand before going through his graveyard. "I now activate the effect of my Spectralsword in the graveyard! I now banish him along with the Samuraisaga in my graveyard to summon a Zombie-type Synchro monster from my Extra deck whose level is equal to the combined levels of both monsters, so I get to summon a level 8 monster!"

Ryuuji's eyes widened in shock as twin bursts of fire appeared and released the spirits of both monsters, before Spectralsword shot up and released 2 Synchro Rings. _"Sacred sword that harbors ancient spirits, unleash the inferno within and uphold the authority of the great general! Turn up the heat, Shiranui Shogunsaga!"_

The monster that appeared looked more like Spiritmaster, but was wielding the Katana of Spectralsword in one hand and the flame-styled blade that Samuraisaga had in the other hand. Ryuuji looked at the monster apprehensively. "Okay, this is a strong monster."

"Haha, well yeah level 8 monsters tend to be strong. Oh, also, Samuraisaga's effect now activates! When banished, I can reduce the ATK of 1 monster my opponent controls by 500." The spirit of his earlier Synchro then appeared and brandished his katana. "Time to cut Retro Dragon down to size!" The spirit then shot by Ryuuji's monster and slashed at its flank before disappearing, leaving Retro to give off a painful roar.

Retro: 1700 – 1200

Ryuuji turned back to look at his dragon, before turning to Seishi. "Why would you use that effect on Retro? Skull has more ATK than him."

"You'll see. But first, I activate my Burial from a Different Dimension to return 3 banished monsters to the graveyard. I select my Spectralsword, my Samuraisaga, and the Spiritmaster in my Sarcophagus!"

"What?!" Ryuuji then turned to the gold box that had been flying behind him all suddenly burst apart, allowing the monster within to shoot into the graveyard. "What are you up to? In one more turn it would have been added to your hand, so why send it to the graveyard?"

Seishi just continued to smirk at him. "Well that is an easy question to answer. I now activate the effect of my Shogunsaga, and banish Spiritmaster again, allowing me to use Spiritmaster's effect to once again destroy one of your cards. So now your Skull will be destroyed this time, and as a bonus, I get to increase Shogunsaga's ATK by that of Spiritmaster with his own effect!"

The new Synchro monster then raised its Katana up and made the spirit of Spiritmaster appear shrouded in blue flames. After Shogunsaga siphoned off most of the flames into its sword, Spiritmaster then flew towards Summoned Skull, who tried to fight it off with lightning, but to no avail as it was quickly destroyed.

Shogunsaga: 3000 – 4500

Ryuuji looked at where his fiend was, then back at Seishi's powered up Synchro. "So that's what you had in mind."

"Yup. Why weaken a monster I'm gonna destroy with an effect? Now for the finisher. Shogunsaga! Attack Retro Dragon!" His monster then brandished both blades and unleashed a flurry of slashes and strikes against the dragon, resulting in a large explosion that hid both duelists. After a second, Seishi emerged from the smoke, with Ryuuji a couple seconds behind him.

Ryuuji looked ahead at Seishi. "In response to your monster's attack, I activated the Defense Draw trap card, reducing the damage to 0 and allowing me to draw a card."

Seishi looked back at him. "Not bad. But you'll be hard pressed to defeat the dead. I set 2 cards and end my turn, returning my Shogunsaga's ATK to normal."

Shogunsaga: 4500 – 3000

"My turn. Draw!" He looked at the card he drew, then set it. "I place 1 card face-down and activate Card of Demise. With it, I draw until I have 5 in my hand, so long as I discard my entire hand in 5 turns." Ryuuji then drew 4 new cards, looking through his options. "First, I activate Cards of the Red Stone, and discard a Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon to draw 2 new cards, then send a level 7 "Red-Eyes" from my deck to the Graveyard. I'll be sending a second Flare Dragon to keep them company."

Looking through his new set of 5 cards, and grew a small smile. "I'll now activate the Polymerization spell card, and send the Red-Eyes still in my hand to the graveyard along with the Chthonian Emperor Dragon in my hand for a Fusion Summon." His signature dragon then reappeared along a hellish black and green dragon with light brown armor, just before both flew into a fusion vortex.

" _Legendary Dragon with eyes of red, join with the ruler of the Underworld and descend before us in a fiery blaze! Fusion Summon! Come forth, Meteor Black Comet Dragon!"_

As Ryuuji's new dragon arrived with a powerful roar, Ryuuji ejected a card from his deck. "I now use the effect of my dragon to send a Red-Eyes monster of my choosing to the graveyard and deal damage to you equal to half of their ATK. So now my Archfiend of Lightning will join the rest in my graveyard and hit you for 1250 points of damage!"

As the soul of the red-eyed demon emerged, Meteor swiped its claw through it and turned its essence into a black and red ball of fire, before hurling it at Seishi, who merely smirked at the attack. "I now activate my face-down Shiranui Style Samsara! With it, I'll sacrifice my Shogunsaga and protect my life points for the rest of this turn!" His Synchro then leapt in the way of the blast and burst into blue fire that created a barrier around Seishi, causing the ball to dissipate on contact.

Ryuuji narrowed his eyes at Seishi, then looked at the last 2 cards in his hand before reaching for them. "I place 2 cards face-down to end my turn."

"My turn. I draw." Looking at his card, he gained a massive grin on his face. "Oh yeah, this will be fun. I activate the spell card Soul Release! With it, I can now banish any 5 monsters in either of our graveyards. I choose the Solitaire and Spectralsword in my graveyard, and from your graveyard I'll take the Chthonian Emperor, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and the Red-Eyes Archfiend. Say goodbye to your Ace!" The individual spirits of each monster then shot out of the deck, with Solitaire floating by Seishi. "And now I'll make use of Solitaire's effect. When banished, I can select any 1 of my banished "Shiranui" monsters and Special Summon them. And if I have Shiranui Style Synthesis in play, then I get to pick 2."

"Too bad I got rid of it earlier."

"Maybe, but my Samsara card can be treated as Synthesis while on the field! So let's welcome back my Shogunsaga and Spectralsword!" Solitaire then twirled its Khakkhara above its head, causing blue flames to shoot out into 2 points. After a few moments, they burst apart and became his Synchro and Tuner. "And now to take this to the next level. I now tune my level 8 Shogunsaga to my level 2 Spectralsword!"

Takumi's eyes widened from above in shock. "You're kidding me. This guy is bringing out a level 10 Synchro!"

Ryuuji watched intently as Seishi performed his 3rd Synchro summon of the duel. " _Sacred blade that bears the passion of ancient souls, let the flames surge forth and become the light that purifies all! Synchro Summon! Blaze, level 10! Shiranui Sunsaga!"_

Emerging from the light was the spirit of the blade in physical form, holding said blade which had blue flames coating it, while riding atop a horse seemingly made of red and orange fire. As it raised its sword and gave off a war cry, the spirits of Samuraisaga and Shogunsaga appeared beside him. "I now use his effect, returning each of my zombie-type Synchro monsters that are banished or in my graveyard to my Extra Deck, then destroy 1 card you control for each card returned! I think I'll slay your Meteor Dragon and the middle set card!"

As Sunsaga lowered his sword at Ryuuji's monster and the spirits charged, Ryuuji activated the target face-down. "I activate the trap card Burst Breath! With it, I sacrifice my dragon and destroy every monster on the field whose DEF is less than my dragon's ATK. And this isn't even a contest seeing as your Sunsaga doesn't even have any DEF points. Meteor! Show these phantoms what REAL fire is!" His Fusion monster then took a deep breath, and roared out a massive flood of fire, easily washing away the 2 Synchro spirits and washing over Sunsaga. After a minute, there was nothing but smoke throughout the room.

Arashi turned to Kiki. "Mind venting the room? No one can see anything down there."

"Way ahead of you." Some vents then popped out along the walls near the ceiling and began to suck up the smoke, making it easier for everyone to see the duel.

Needless to say, they were shocked to see that Sunsaga was still there! "Not bad Ryuuji, you just pulled the same move I did earlier with my Spiritual Fire Art trap. Unfortunately, Sunsaga can prevent the destruction of any zombies I control by instead banishing a single "Shiranui" card in my graveyard, like the Smith I've had there since my first turn. Oh, and thanks to Smith's effect, all my zombies can't be destroyed in battle this turn. Not that it matters at the moment."

"Oh well, I can still make use of Meteor's effect. When sent from the monster zone to the graveyard, I get to Special Summon any Normal monster in my graveyard, and I choose to revive one of my Black Flare Dragons!" The black and red dragon emerged with a roar, before curling its wings in front of it signifying defense mode. "And I'll follow it up with my Return of the Red-Eyes trap, so as long as I control a Red-Eyes monster, I get to revive another Normal monster in my graveyard once per turn, so say hello to my second Flare Dragon, also in Defense mode!" And with that, a second dragon mirrored the actions of the first.

Seishi grinned. "Oh, so you traded 1 big dragon for 2 smaller dragons. Not bad, but not good enough. If I can't get to your life points with this, then I'll just focus on thinning your forces! Sunsaga, attack one of the Flare Dragons!" Sunsaga reared its horse and charged at one of the dragons, cleaving straight through and destroying it in a burst of blue flames.

Ryuuji grimaced as his dragon was destroyed, before looking back at Seishi as his trap began to glow. "I now activate the second effect of Samsara. I now take 2 banished zombies with 0 DEF and return them to my deck, then draw 2 cards. I select Shiranui Solitaire and Smith." As the spirits of his monsters appeared, they then surged towards his deck in blue flames. After his deck shuffled, he drew a card, looked at it, then set it with a smile. "Alright, I set this card face-down and end my turn. Your move Ryuuji. Think you can turn this around now?"

Seishi's friends smirked at how things were going, while Takumi and Ruri watched the duel in caution. Mei then turned to the bird-users. "You guys still think Ryuuji has a chance? Seishi rarely loses when he gets to the point of using Sunsaga."

"Of course." Everyone looked at Takumi as his expression shifted into one of slight eagerness. "Sure, Seishi is pretty good. He hasn't lost a single point since this all started. But even if he keeps blocking Ryuuji's attempts to burn him, he still has a good number of tricks up his sleeves. After all, Red-Eyes is the dragon of craftiness and fury, with limitless potential."

"It's my turn, I draw!" He looked at the card he had to work with, before placing it in his hand "I now activate the effect of my Return of the Red-Eyes to bring back a normal monster in my graveyard. Revive, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!" The monster then reemerged from the flames, once more in defense mode. "But he won't be staying for long, because I tribute him to activate my trap card, Dark Spirit Art – Greed. I now get to draw 2 more cards." His dragon then gave a roar before become dark red particles that illuminated the top 2 cards of his deck. "Normally, you'd be able to negate this effect by revealing a spell in your hand. But since your hand is empty, I am free to do as I like. I now draw!"

He then took his new cards and looked at them, eyes widening in shock. He then looked down, a shadow covering his eyes. "I gotta admit Seishi, you are a tough opponent. I probably don't have the power to take you down on my own."

Seishi looked back at him with a smile. "Does that mean I win?" He then threw up an arm in triumph. "Alright!"

"What are you talking about?" Seishi looked back at Ryuuji, now seeing a slight smirk on his face.

"What? But you just said you couldn't beat me?"

"On my own. If we had met a few weeks ago, I probably wouldn't have a chance against you. However," The shadow over his eyes then cleared away showing a confidant expression. "I'm not alone anymore. I am finally able to allow others to give me strength. And that is exactly what I'll do!" He then took the 2 cards he just got and revealed them. "I, using the scale 1 **Devil with Eyes of Red** , and the scale 8 **Drake with Eyes of Red,** set the Pendulum Scale!"

Seishi did a double take as he heard him. "Wait, Pendulum?!" He then watched as the two Pendulum monsters rose up. On Ryuuji's right there was a monster that looked like Red-Eyes Archfiend, but lacking its legs, leaving a tail-like appendage, possessing thinner limbs and sharper claws, horns curling upwards and a small flame floating in between them. On Ryuuji's other side was a black dragon with a serpentine form and wings just above its arms, having no back legs. The tip of its tail had a sharp red crystal, and its head looked like a much narrower and sleeker version of Red-Eyes Black Dragon's.

 **Devil with Eyes of Red; Pendulum/Fiend-type/Gemini/DARK/level6/Sc1**

 **ATK 2500 DEF 1200**

 **Drake with Eyes of Red; Pendulum/Dragon-type/Gemini/DARK/level6/Sc8**

 **ATK 1800 DEF 2000**

While Takumi watched with a grin, everyone else, even Ruri, were shocked at the development. "Ryuuji has Pendulum cards? When did that happen?!"

"A few days ago." They all turned to Takumi in surprise as he continued. "While we were working on a way to leave the Fusion dimension, a pair of blank cards I had begun to glow, and turned into those cards there. After a quick talk with Ryuuji, I managed to convince him to keep the cards, thinking that it would not only show my trust in him, but his decision to stop fighting every battle on his own. And now, you guys get to see exactly what these cards can do!"

Down below, Ryuuji looked at the cards entrusted with him in contemplation, before smiling genuinely. Turning back to Seishi, he challenged him. "Alright Seishi, this time, I WILL destroy your monster. And make a dent on your life points at the same time!"

Seishi blinked away the shock and smiled at Ryuuji. "Alright then! Show me what these cards can do!"

"With pleasure. But first, a quick explanation of my Devil's powers." Said monster then let out a demonic howl, shifting both Pendulum Pillars from a bluish-white color to a blackish-red. "When I perform a Pendulum Summon, he allows me to summon any "Red-Eyes", "Archfiend", or Gemini monsters in my graveyard who fit between the scales!"

Seishi's eyes widened in shock at that. "Pendulum from the graveyard?!"

"That's right. Now for a demonstration! _Chaotic power born of eternity! Resonate throughout the underworld, and call forth destructive might! Pendulum Revival! Be reborn, my loyal monsters!"_ 2 lights then shot out from the portal that formed, releasing 2 different monsters. "First up, Red-Eyes Retro Dragon. And next, Summoned Skull!" The 2 monsters then appeared beside his dragon, getting into defensive positions.

Seishi looked at him in confusion. "Wait, you could have summoned one or two more, couldn't you? What are you up to?"

"Well first of all, a monster I revive like this can't attack or use any effects until the end of the turn. And secondly, my second Flare Dragon is right where I want them."

Seishi blinked at this, but shrugged. "Oh well, I can still muck things up. I activate my trap, Bottomless Trap Hole! Since you just summoned monsters with 1500 or more attack, I can now destroy and banish them! So say goodnight to Retro and Skull!" The trap then shot red energy that struck the 2 monsters and created clouds of dust, much to Seishi's satisfaction, until the dust cleared away and the 2 monsters left unscathed, a red barrier around them. "What?!"

Ryuuji just smirked as he indicated the other card in his Pendulum Zone, the crystal on its tail glowing slightly. "So long as my Drake is in the Pendulum Zone, each of my "Archifiend", "Red-Eyes", and Gemini monsters can avoid destruction once per turn!"

"You gotta be kidding me…"

"Nope. And now to really kick things off, I activate the second Pendulum effect of my devil, allowing me to perform a Fusion summon for a card that lists a "Red-Eyes" or Gemini monster as material by sending appropriate materials from my field or graveyard back into my deck!" His Devil then let out another howl, creating a red and black fusion vortex behind him. "I fuse together my Summoned Skull with my Red-Eyes Flare Dragon!" The 2 monsters then leaped into the vortex.

Seishi looked at the display in shock. "Fusion from a Pendulum card?!"

" _Blazing Dragon with eyes of red, join with the demon of the Underworld! Unleash the potential within you, and forge a power of absolute dread! Fusion Summon! Return with a vengeance, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!"_ Once more his demonic dragon took to the field, giving out a monstrous roar that shook the room.

Seishi looked at the beast he now had to deal with. "So the beast I stopped before I could fight it, huh? Still, it doesn't have the strength to overcome my Sunsaga!"

"Not yet. But I have just the card to change that equation! I activate the equip spell Megamorph and attach it to Archfiend, so as long as my life points are lower than yours, this card will double his ATK!"

"What!?" Seishi watched as the dragon bean to grow in size, nearly being as tall as the room itself.

Archfiend: 3200 – 6400

"Go! Archfiend Black Skull Dragon! Attack his Sunsaga!" The massive dragon then began to charge up a massive fireball in its mouth.

Seishi looked at the size of the attack in worry. "I don't think so! I activate my second Face-down, Slip of Fortune! With it, I banish the attack target and negate your attack!" Sunsaga then began to glow.

Ryuuji smirked as black and red spirits formed and grabbed the trap, forcing it down as well as surrounding Samsara, much to Seishi's shock. "When Archfiend attacks, you cannot activate any spells or traps in response! So Archfiend is free to take down your Synchro and you can't do a thing about it! GO! Infernal Hellfire Blast!" The massive dragon then released the fireball, easily consuming the form of Sunsaga, who had no zombies left to banish to maintain its own life, dealing massive damage to Seishi.

Seishi: 4000 – 1100

As Seishi got himself under control, he looked at Ryuuji with a grin. "Not bad man, but I'm not done yet! On my next turn, be sure that I'll turn this around and win it!"

"Then it's a good thing I'm not giving you another turn!" At Seishi's confused look, Ryuuji looked back at his dragon. "At the end of the Battle Phase, if Archfiend was involved in damage calculation, then I can return 1 "Red-Eyes" monster from my graveyard to my deck, then hit you for damage equal to its attack. And what do you know, I left a Black Flare Dragon in there."

Seishi's eyes widened at that, as he connected the dots. "But with no monsters on my field to use Samsara…"

"You lose. Alright Archfiend, gather the power of the fallen and end this!" As Ryuuji ejected the monster from his graveyard, the spirit of Flare appeared and gathered into a sphere of flames in the hands of archfiend, which it then tossed at Seishi, striking him and removing the last of his life points!

"ARGH!"

Seishi: 1100 – 0

Winner: Ryuuji!

As Seishi's runner hit the brakes, Ryuuji and his dragon shot ahead, the beast giving a massive roar of triumph before fading away with the rest of the remaining cards. Meanwhile, up in the observation area, Takumi was cheering while the rest looked on in shock at how he turned it around.

As Ryuuji stopped the D-wheel near the lifts, Seishi quickly came from behind and jumped off just as it was stopped and ran up to Ryuuji, a massive grin on his face. "That. Was. AWESOME! I had no idea that was coming! No one mentioned that there were Pendulum cards in your deck as well!"

Ryuuji just smirked at him. "Well, to be honest, I'm still getting used to them. You can't say you can use something reliably if you only just acquired it."

"I hear that. Still, to think the first monster you summoned in the duel wound up being the death of me."

"You're telling me. I almost thought I was going to lose, especially since you made me get rid of Archfiend on your first turn. And all those monsters of yours that kept triggering effects when banished? It was hard just to land a hit on you. Not to mention those Synchros you used."

"Thanks, I like to make my opponents work to hurt me. Now then, how about we celebrate your win up with the others?" He then pointed a finger up as he said this, getting Ryuuji to nod with him before they each brought their D-wheels up the lift.

Takumi greeted Ryuuji with a fist bump as they made it up. "Nice work man! I knew you'd be able to figure out those cards!"

"Thanks. I wasn't too sure of it myself, but no better chance to practice than when in a safe place I guess."

"That really was incredible." Ruri walked up to them at this point. "I admit, I'm still not used to seeing Fusion in a good light, but that was still an amazing match you just had."

"No kidding." They all turned to Arashi and the others as they got closer as well. "You all have some pretty good skills. If there are more like you lot, I'd love to have you all as comrades."

Takumi smiled at them. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

Arashi smiled as he held out a hand to them. "We can't speak for our entire dimension, but you at least have the four of us as allies in the coming fight." The rest of them smiled with their leader, as Takumi quickly gripped his hand in Arashi's.

"Good to know!"

"By the way," They all looked at Kiki as she was fiddling with the controls. "I finally figured something out about this feeling I was having."

Mei raised a curious eyebrow. "What are you talking about."

"Back when Takumi was dueling, I got this strange feeling when he used his Pendulum cards. And when Ryuuji used his own, the feeling came back. I finally figured it out. There was a recording of an unusual duel the other day." She then brought up a video feed showing a pair of duelists that had Takumi looking at it in shock.

"No way… That's Gongenzaka!"

Mei looked at him neutrally. "You know them?"

"Yeah, the big guy is Gongenzaka, a friend of mine from Standard. The guy with the orange hair though… I can see that he's using Pendulum cards, but I don't recognize him."

"I do." They all turned to Ryuuji, who did not look happy. "His name is Dennis, and he's like me."

Takumi's eyes widened at that. "You mean…"

"Yeah. He's an advance agent of Academia. A spy like I was. Not only that, but before he was sent to Standard, he was sent somewhere else first." He then turned and everyone followed his gaze to Ruri, slowly realizing what he meant.

Ruri looked back at the image of Dennis in fear, and slight realization. "Wait, I recognize him. He performed on the streets of Heartland occasionally! We even had a duel within just a week before the invasion!"

"Not surprising. He was the one that greenlit the invasion."

"WHAT?!" Takumi then took another look at the screen, staring at the one responsible for starting the attack on Heartland.

"Yeah, his job was to lay in wait until the main objective of the Professor was located, then to keep an eye on it until someone could extract it once the invasion began."

Everyone looked at him cautiously, as Takumi looked furious and Ruri scared. Seishi gulped for a moment before speaking. "What… What was their objective?"

Ryuuji looked down angrily. "I don't know the specifics myself, but throughout the dimensions, there are apparently a pair of individuals in each of the 4 worlds who share a face with one another. The Professor, for some reason… was after the female counterparts."

The Misfits widened their eyes in realization, before turning to look at Ruri, who was beginning to hug herself while looking at the image of Dennis. Kiki then looked over to Takumi. "So, when you said you took a detour…"

Takumi nodded. "I wound up in Academia on accident, but I took the opportunity to gather information and break Ruri out. I had previously run into her brother and learned that she was kidnapped, so I promised him that I would help him get her out as soon as I could." He then shrugged. "Turned out it would be sooner than I thought." He then moved to place a comforting hand on Ruri's shoulder.

Seishi looked back at Ryuuji. "What in the heck is this Professor after? Why does he want Ruri and these other girls?"

"No idea. He merely gave out the missions and everyone followed them out. No one thought to question or refuse him on this."

"Well we will." They all looked to Arashi, who had a determined look on his face. "We may have only just joined the game, but there is no way I'm letting this guy ruin more lives due to his own whims. What do you guys say?"

Mei cracked her knuckles. "I say, we make him hurt for what he's done."

Seishi grinned. "Seconded."

Kiki flashed her own smile. "I guess the vote is unanimous."

Arashi nodded before turning back to Kiki. "Okay, first step, track down these two. Gongenzaka and Dennis. Kiki, find out where these two went after this. Check security databanks if you have to."

"Aye, aye, captain." She then got up and rushed to where the main computer setup was.

Arashi then turned to Mei and Seishi. "We are still in need of resources. You 2 go take inventory while Kiki works. There should be a chart of what costs what, so go put together the list then go to Kiki to move the funds. Then get your good clothes and go out. Keep an ear and eye out for any information or move from Security."

They both nodded and ran off, leaving Arashi to turn to the dumbfounded trio of guests. "As for us, I'll start by giving you a quick tour, then get you places to rest. You've all been through a lot, you deserve some rest. I'll be joining the others afterwards."

Takumi blinked at how fast things were going, before slowly nodding. "Uh, okay. Did not think you guys would jump to do things so quickly."

"With what we do on a day to day basis, being quick kept us going. Anyway, come on. I'll show you the important things before sending you all off to bed." The trio got changed back into their previous outfits and followed him at that as he showed them where to find things they might need to make use of, before eventually taking them to a long hallway lined with doors every so often.

"This was apparently a staff living quarters, each one holding 2 beds. Feel free to divvy them up however you like. If you need anything, the hall leads right into the main room where Kiki works. I'll leave you guys to it."

"Thanks again for letting us stay man." Takumi thanked him as he shook his hand, Ruri giving a grateful smile and Ryuuji nodded to him.

"Not a problem. We've harbored others who needed a place to hide before, though typically they don't know the way in or out due to blindfolds. Then again, something tells me we won't need them. Alright, get some rest. I'll start leading the search for your friends from Standard."

They gave him an acknowledging nod as he walked away, before looking at the rooms. Takumi then scratched the side of his head in thought. "So, what now? Two to a room with one on their own, or each of us with our own?"

Ruri, looked into one of the rooms, seeing it look rather plain with two beds on either side and a pair of desks on the wall between them and confirming a lock on the inside rather than out, much to the relief of her paranoia. Still, the idea of a room to herself unnerved her, and she looked at the other 2 nervously. "Umm… Could I maybe… Stay in a room with someone?"

Ryuuji smirked, and pushed Takumi towards Ruri. "You heard her Hero Boy. Make sure the princess feels safe!"

The 2 of them got red in the face as Takumi rounded on him. "Will you quit it already?!"

"Hahaha. Anyway, see you 2 in the morning." He then walked into a room and closed the door, leaving the pair alone.

"Man, is it bad that I find him more annoying now than when he was an enemy?" Takumi then shook his head as he and Ruri walked into the next room, each claiming a bed somewhat nervously.

After a few moments, Ruri looked over at Takumi. "Uh, Takumi…"

"Hm? What's up?"

"Um… Thank you…"

Takumi stopped and looked over at her. "For what?"

"Just… Everything. Getting me out of Academia, keeping me safe, comforting me… Just, thank you, for everything you've done so far."

Silence reigned for a few moments, before Takumi smiled at her. "Of course. I hate the thought of others going through the kinds of things you have." He then turned back to his bed and continued getting ready as Ruri watched. "Being separated from the people you care about, seeing your home torn apart, being kept by strange people that scare you to no end… Merely hearing about what you went through from your brother made me determined to help the both of you." He then finished setting up his bed and looked at her with determination. "Just you wait. You'll see your brother again soon, and then we'll end this war. Even if I have to take down the Professor myself."

Ruri simply looked at him, speechless for a few seconds, before a bright smile that warmed Takumi's heart lit her face. "Okay."

Blushing, the two of them crawled under the covers of their respective beds after Takumi lowered the lights to something comfortable, but not pitch-black, then began to fall asleep.

"Good night Takumi."

"Good night Ruri."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the spirit world, Red-Eyes was returning from the duel with Devil and Drake by his side and praising the both of them. "Seriously, where in the HELL have you two been all my life!? The two of you are freaking amazing!"

Devil smirked at the dragon that was their master. "Gihee, does it really matter? Now we can lend you our strength and power, and destroy even more enemies!"

Drake lifted his own head proudly. "Of course. We may be young, but we will now show all the true power of the Red-Eyed clan."

"Hehehehe. I love the sound of that!" Red-Eyes then flew even faster, soon spotting Aka and Ao in the clearing with all of his "accomplices" from before as they were starting to be released. "Hey guys! I gotta say, I love these new guys you introduced me to!"

Aka smirked at the dragon's enthusiasm. "I take it they were helpful?"

"Helpful? They were beyond just helpful! THEY KICKED BUTT!"

Ao chuckled a little after releasing one of the spirits from an ice block. "I see. Well, it seemed only right to give you a chance to prove your honest desire to fight beside us."

"Are you kidding? If you guys had told me about giving me this kind of support, I would have joined up sooner!"

"Good to know." RE then turned to Aka's smiling face. "Then, you wouldn't mind if we mentioned something you might disagree with?"

The dragon's face dropped at that. "What are you talking about?"

At that moment, he heard an impact behind him, then felt an all too familiar pull as the ice and fire birds looked at him in amusement. "After all, you never did finish your 'time out' as it were."

RE's eyes widened in horror, and before he could say anything, he was pulled into another Dragon Capture Jar that Ki and flown in behind him, looking very smug at having gotten his revenge. "Ah, now THIS feels good."

"… I hate you all."

* * *

A/N: Finally done! Man, this chapter took the longest for me to write yet. I truly apologize for that, seeing as I ran into several different problems trying to write this duel and figure out how I was going to end it. That said, I feel good about how I ended it. And yes, a few of the cards used are using anime effects. Thoughts?

Anyway, I have an idea for how I want the next chapter will go, so the next update will mostly depend on my schedule and how many distractions that arise. That said, I have no plans to give up on this story, seeing how many people seem to be following it.

In other news, I have been considering putting up a new story that would be a Fairy Tail fic. A friend of mine helped me work on a few ideas for it, and is encouraging me to post it. If I do go through with it, it would updated along the same time as this story, but planning would be simpler because there aren't any duels and such to think about To anyone who thinks I should give it a shot, let me know in either a review or PM.

Other than that, please let me know your thoughts on my story in any way you see fit. Please leave a review on what you like or don't like, and if you want to see more of this story then please follow and/or favorite. Thanks again for reading, and see you all later.

 **OC cards**

 **Devil with Eyes of Red; Pendulum/Fiend-type/Gemini/DARK/level6/Sc1**

 **ATK 2500 DEF 1200**

 **(This card is always treated as an "Archfiend" and a "Red-Eyes" card)**

 **This card is treated as a normal monster while face-up on the field or in the graveyard. While this card is a normal monster on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it be an effect monster with this effect:**

 **-Once per turn, you can target 1 "Red-Eyes" or Gemini monster in your graveyard or in your hand; Special Summon the target, then deal damage to your opponent equal to half of its ATK plus 100x its level. Gemini monsters summoned this way gain their effects.**

 **P.E.- While this card is in your Pendulum Zone, you can Pendulum Summon Gemini, "Archfiend", or "Red-Eyes" monsters in your graveyard, but they cannot attack and their effects (if any) are negated for the rest of the turn. Gemini monsters you control that are treated as normal monsters can be treated as "archfiend" cards. Once per turn, you can Fusion Summon a monster that lists a "Red-Eyes" card as a Fusion Material by returning material monsters from your field or in the graveyard to the deck. The summoned monster is treated as "Red-Eyes Black Dragon", and you cannot summon other monsters from the Extra Deck for the rest of the turn.**

 **Drake with Eyes of Red; Pendulum/Dragon-type/Gemini/DARK/level6/Sc8**

 **ATK 1800 DEF 2000**

 **(This card is always treated as a "Red-Eyes" card.)**

 **This card is treated as a normal monster while face-up on the field or in the graveyard. While this card is a normal monster on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it be an effect monster with this effect:**

 **-Once while this face-up card is on the field; you can add 1 Gemini or "Red-Eyes" card from your deck to your hand. At the end of the Battle Phase, if a Gemini or "Red-Eyes" monster you control destroyed a monster in battle; You can Special Summon 1 Gemini or "Red-Eyes" monster in your hand and deal damage to your opponent equal to its original ATK. Gemini monsters summoned this way gain their effects.**

 **P.E.- Each "Red-Eyes", Gemini, and "Archfiend" monster you control or that lists one of those cards as a material monster cannot be destroyed in battle or by card effects once per turn. When a Gemini or "Red-eyes" monster you control or that lists one of those cards as a material monster attacks; Negate the effects of the attack target.**


	22. Reuniting

A/N: Once again, I apologize for how long this took to write and post. My schedule has been getting moved around a lot, and I was having bouts of writers block from time to time. Hope what I have this time is enjoyable to everyone.

 **Review responses**

 **Aibcareer2k** : Glad you're happy to see me again. Sorry these chapters are taking so much time to put out. Hope you continue to look forward to what I manage to upload.

 **FanficCrossoverMaster15** : Glad you liked the cards!

 **HunterHQ** : Glad you continue to enjoy my story. Hope to keep your continued support.

 **FurySong** : I'M ALIVE!

 **TheRealDeal44** (from chapter 20): Glad to hear you enjoyed my use of Morphtronics! It actually took me awhile to try and decide what kind of deck I'd use for that character, so I really am glad it was well received.

* * *

The next morning, Takumi, Ruri, and Ryuuji were making their way to the main chamber, Takumi stretching his arms out. "Man, those were some really good beds! If it weren't for you two, I'd still be sleeping." Ruri sweat-dropped while Ryuuji chuckled, the latter having pulled him out from the bed with the blanket when all other attempts to wake him failed.

As they entered the main chamber and walked to the main platform, they saw Kiki still hard at work on… something. She glanced in their direction as they approached and smiled, before looking back at the screens. "Hey guys. Sleep well?"

"Some almost too well." Ryuuji joked as Takumi chuckled at that. "Where's breakfast?"

Kiki hiked a thumb over her shoulder, pointing at a cabinet. "Afraid all we got right now is breakfast bars. Mei is out getting supplies with Seishi, so we'll have more to eat if you want to wait till then."

Takumi opened the cabinet in slight disappointment. "Eh, it'll do for now." He then grabbed one for each of them and passed them out, before looking back at Kiki. "So, how's the progress?"

"Well, the program I've been running has a few hits on possible disks, but I'm double-checking everything as quietly as I can before I attempt to establish contact. Arashi meanwhile is checking in with some of our contacts out on the streets, seeing if anyone we've helped out has seen someone who was a little strange. Odds are, if there is anyone like that, then they'll be a friend or foe of yours and we'd need to track them down regardless."

Takumi took a bite out of his bar as he looked over the screens. "Do any of those disks you got into have names associated with them?"

"Hmmm… Here's one, but…" Kiki then brought the face of the one in question up on the screen and the others looked at it in confusion.

"… Wait…" Takumi blinked his eyes a few times to make sure he was looking at it right. "… Why is the profile image… a ninja?"

"No idea." Kiki responded. "I'm guessing it's some sort of cosplayer, but I can't get any information out of the disk other than name. Tsukikage."

Takumi shook his head in exasperation. "Okay then… Got any others?"

"Well, I picked up this one a few minutes ago. Only have the picture right now. You know him?"

When the image popped up, Takumi's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, before he adopted a bright smile. "YES! It's Reiji! He's the leader of the Lancers, and if anyone knows what we need to do next it will be him!" He then looked to Kiki. "Can we send him a message?"

Kiki slowly nodded her head. "It might take a bit, but I can patch us in to him. What do you want to tell him?" Before he could respond, a call came up on the screens, the name Zephyr next to it. "Hold that thought." Kiki then answered the call. "Overwatch here. What's going on Zephyr?"

"I think I have a lead on some of our guest's friends. Just talked to a few kids who said people claiming to be from another world were staying with them. Even showed off a summoning method they hadn't seen before."

"Which one?" Takumi asked.

"Apparently it was Pendulum, used by a kid named Yuya."

"Really?!" Takumi exclaimed. "Where are they now?!"

"That's the bad news. Apparently, they were carted away by Security this morning, along with the kids' caretakers."

Kiki glared at this as the others looked at each other in worry. "This isn't good." Ryuuji said. "Anything we can do to help them?"

Kiki was already typing away. "I'll need some time to get into Security's systems. Until then, we need to wait. In the meantime, we also have a lead. I've managed to track down one of our visitors, and our guest says they're one of the good guys. You mind going to meet with them?"

"Just give me coordinates and make sure they know I'm a friendly. Also, see if you can get one of our contacts to keep the kids safe until we can do something more permanent for them."

Kiki looked over to the side as a document with names and addresses popped up on the screen. "On it. There seem to be a few people in your area that owe us a few favors, so I'll get one of them to pick them up."

"Alright. I'll go rendezvous with our new friends. Make sure they don't attack me please." The call then cut out, and Kiki then brought up the message again.

"Alright, anything you can think of that can convince this Reiji fella we're the good guys?"

Takumi looked up in thought, before he smirked.

* * *

Several minutes later, Reiji was in an old housing unit looking at the message that had been received by his disk. For the last few days, he had been unable to contact any of the other lancers, surprised by the jamming signal that had been going out throughout the entire city they had found themselves in. Tsukikage had managed to track him down, and even helped him find Reira this morning. But otherwise they had been completely isolated from the others. And while he now knew where some of them were, he now needed to find out a means of getting his Lancers out from the facility they had been taken to.

Just as he was about to resolve himself to meeting the people in charge, the message had popped up on his disk. "Hello Akaba Reiji. We heard how you were visiting our _lovely_ city from a mutual friend, and we were wondering if we could extend our help. We won't be too specific in case someone else picks this up, but we're sending one of us to meet with you. Look for the D-wheel that is white with green highlights. As for the mutual friend, he says that he still thinks it's a little rude to think of everyone as pieces on a board."

Reiji then recalled an earlier conversation with Takumi the night he was confronted about Sora, as well as recalled sending out data to help him meet them here if they could. "Tsukikage."

"You called?" The ninja duelist appeared out of nowhere at Reiji's call.

"It would seem we have a guest coming soon. Keep Reira safe while I speak with them."

"Yes Master." Tsukikage then vanished again as Reiji walked out of the bedroom and to the living room, seeing Reira sitting on the couch.

"Reira, we may have acquired allies in this world. I'm going outside to meet with them. Do as Tsukikage says."

"Yes brother…"

Reiji looked at the child for a few moments, before walking out of the apartment and to the front door. After a few minutes of waiting, Reiji saw the vehicle in question pull up, prompting him to walk out the door as they dismounted. The figure then looked at Reiji without removing the helmet. "Akaba Reiji?"

He nodded in response. "Who are you?"

"Sorry, but so long as there's a chance of Security finding out, I'm just going to say Zephyr." He shrugged at that. "Blame my comic-loving friend. Anyway, a mutual friend of ours wants to meet up. Care for a lift?"

"Why should I trust what you say?"

"If I recall what a certain bird-user has said about you, you can judge that for yourself pretty good."

Reiji considered things for a few moments, before nodding. "I have a couple others who I would rather not leave alone. Do you have room for them?"

"Depends if their willing to double up." Zephyr then pushed a few buttons on their console and a side car materialized on the side, granting 1 more seat. "Behold the power of Solid Vision. I'm going to be a little slower if we do this, so you better get them fast before we're spotted."

Reiji nodded and went to get the other two.

* * *

Back at the hideout, the trio of guests were gathered around the table of the main chamber as Kiki went through the data before her. Takumi was working with Ryuuji to put together new combos and counters while Ruri offered ideas and took notes herself.

Sometime later, Kiki turned to them. "Looks like Arashi's back."

Takumi looked up at that and smiled. "Cool. Where at?"

Kiki looked at the displays. "Seems like he'll come out of the east tunnel in a few moments."

"Alright. I still haven't seen what kinds of cards he uses other than that brief glimpse back when he grabbed us."

"I would guess something to do with the wind." Ryuuji offered. "All of Seishi's codenames were rather unoriginal."

"Seconded." They all turned their gaze to the tunnel Arashi was walking out of with a grin. "Still, they're at least interesting." Following him were people Takumi recognized easily.

Takumi then got up and waved an arm at the figure he hadn't seen in a few days. "Oi, Reiji! You really did wind up here!"

He met with the leader of the Lancers halfway across the bridge and shoot hands with him. "I am glad to see you unharmed as well Takumi. It seems we have a few things to catch up on."

"You're telling me!" He then looked at the other 2, surprised to see not only the ninja from the displays, but even Reira! He then looked at Reiji cautiously. "Oi, you didn't say anything about recruiting kids for the Lancers!"

"Reira's abilities are up to the challenge, I promise you." Said child nodded as they hugged their toy. Reiji then looked to the middle of the platform, slightly surprised to not only see another girl that looked like Yuzu and Serena, but tensed when he saw the individual who turned out to be an agent of Academia back in Standard.

Takumi noticed his reaction, then turned to look at Ryuuji. He then turned back to Reiji with arms up asking for a chance. "Easy, he's not all bad. Just let me share what I've been through before you jump to conclusions."

Reiji looked back at Takumi for a few moments, before nodding. "Alright. Let us share what we know so far then." They all then walked to the platform and began to compare notes.

* * *

While they shared what they knew, Seishi and Mei had returned and passed out some of the new supplies, before going to take their own seats as the Misfits listened in on the Lancers' talk. Reiji was fascinated by the number of people Takumi had allied with in Fusion, and curious as to what his father wanted with the different bracelet wearing girls. Takumi was shocked at how much had happened while he was in another dimension; from the Fusion girl, Serena, joining them as a Lancer, to Yuzu vanishing and supposedly being sent to this dimension with the Synchro version of Yuya.

Once both sides had finished sharing, Takumi just rubbed his head. "Man, things just keep getting better and better, don't they?"

"I suppose that's one way of putting it." Reiji replied. "Still, I am glad to know you've done well for yourself, despite being separated from the rest of us." He said, referring to the things he had accomplished in Fusion and Synchro.

"Yeah, well it wasn't exactly a walk in the park. Unless said park was filled with wild starving animals and I was in a meat suit. In which case, yeah. Just a walk in the park."

Ryuuji looked at him strangely. "What kind of analogy is that?!"

Takumi shrugged. "An absurd analogy for an absurd situation. I swear there are still moments where I think all this insanity is just a crazy dream and I'll wake up pretty soon with things being just as simple and peaceful as before."

"That would be nice." Ruri commented softly, wanting her old life before the war back.

Takumi placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "Hey, everything will be okay. Just you wait. Before you know it, all of this tragedy will be a distant dream, and everything will be fixed. No war, no fear, just fun."

Ruri smiled at that and nodded to him, Reiji speaking softly. "I think it's safe to say we can all agree to that." Reiji then stood up and walked to the edge of the platform, hand on the railing as he looked throughout the chamber. "That said, it will be easier said than done. We still don't have the resources I would like to challenge my father, even if the rest of the Lancers weren't locked up." He then looked at the gathered Misfits. "Though it is good to know that while this world may have a few issues, it also has those who choose to fight against those problems. The four of you have my respect for what you do."

Kiki was too busy going through the screens to look at him, but the rest smiled and Arashi nodded to him. "Thanks. We do all we can, even if it isn't enough to completely fix things."

Reiji nodded, then looked over at Ryuuji, who seemed a little nervous with how he was looking at him. "You, I admit to being a little warry of. But from Takumi has said, you've saved him. For that you have my gratitude. If you continue to prove helpful, then I may rely on you more."

Ryuuji let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding and nodded to Reiji. "Fair enough. Then you need to know about Dennis."

Reiji quirked a brow at that. "What about him?"

"I'm talking about how he's a member of Academia, tasked with acting as a spy in Standard like I was."

Narrowed eyes were his response as Reira looked frightened by the thought and even Tsukikage seemed surprised. "What?"

Takumi nodded. "Apparently his job was to track down the different versions of Yuzu and Ruri, and he was even the one who sent the green light for the attack on Xyz after he met Ruri there."

Reiji brought a hand to his chin in thought. "Hmm. That would explain some of the holes in his background." He then turned to Kiki as she looked over. "They say you are good at accessing data. How long would it take for you to gather information from the disk he possesses?"

"Without him taking notice? Maybe a day or two tops. Depends on how much he protects the stuff on it."

"I see…" Reiji then looked over the room some more, a look of thought on his face.

Takumi watched for a few seconds, before a small smirk adorned his face. "You have a plan, don't you?"

Reiji nodded. "This world is one where words alone can't do anything. You have to be successful, and at the top of the food chain so to speak. If we are to fully ally with the Synchro dimension, we will need the support of the people who run it. But to gain it, we will likely be asked to prove our abilities and strength." He turned to the Misfits again. "Do you think you know what they would ask for?"

They each shared a few frowns, before Mei looked at him. "The Friendship Cup."

Takumi raised a brow. "The tournament being held soon? I saw a few posters while we were walking around when we first got here, but don't know more than that."

"Then you need to know what it was for." Mei said. "There was once someone who promoted dueling as a means of having fun, but when he tried to show the Tops this, they completely crushed him with overpowering cards and even eventually locked him away afterwards. That was 10 years ago. This caused riots and uprisings, so the Friendship Cup was created. Anyone was allowed to apply for it, and it was created to promote harmony between Tops and Commons. The one who wins, gets to challenge the current King, now Jack Atlas, who was a Common himself, to acquire the title for themselves and live better than some Tops."

"But it isn't all sunshine and rainbows like some people might think." Seishi interrupted. "They may say it's to promote Harmony, but at best it simply divided the Commons in the end. Jack Atlas is seen by half the Commons as a hero, but the other half as a traitor, turning his back on his origins and only thinking of his own future. Meanwhile, the Tops see him as one of them, completely ignoring his roots. And if that wasn't bad enough, anyone who loses in the Cup gets sent to an underground labor facility and forced into servitude. People can go years before they even see the sun again, if they ever get to."

Silence. Reiji kept his hand on his chin in thought while Tsukikage remained completely stoic. Ryuuji, Reira, and Ruri each had worried looks of their own.

Takumi no the other hand…

"… You have GOT to be KIDDING!"

… He was handling it as expected as he was now standing and pacing angrily at that piece of news. "Yes this place is messed up already, but for this kind of stuff to be happening on top of all that?!" He then looked straight up and threw his arms out. "Alright universe, anything ELSE you want to throw at us?! Cyborgs?! Mind control?! DEMONS?!" He then collapsed back on the couch he was seated at tiredly, everyone looking at him a bit worried. "I really want all this craziness to settle down a little, at least give us some breathing room."

Ryuuji looked at him with half-open eyes and a raised brow. "Are you done?"

Takumi opened an eye and looked up, before closing and nodding. "For the moment."

Arashi shrugged. "Believe me, we wish it could be different. This place is practically the embodiment of discord right now. Still, we do what we can to balance the scales. We've even smuggled supplies into the underground or even people out of there thanks to these tunnels."

"And let's not forget that bastard Roger." Kiki said sourly, getting the rest of the Misfits to adopt looks of contempt.

Reiji raised a brow at this. "Roger? The Director of Security?"

Kiki nodded at him. "Yeah. He's the one that is credited with creating Real Solid Vision technology and used it to rise up in the ranks. The only people with more authority than him is the Administrative Council. He's also pretty much the guard dog of the Tops, using Security to get rid of any Common that gets in their way. He also has to approve of every participant to the Cup."

"I see."

"Anyway, that doesn't matter at the moment." Arashi said. "If you plan on getting the Council to invite you to the Cup, it won't matter what Roger says about it. They still hold more power than he does. And anyone who does get sent underground, we can look out for. The part you might want to worry about however is the freedom of you and your people when participating."

Kiki then keyed in a few things and an image of a skyscraper was brought up. "Anyone who becomes a participant of the cup is given access to their own room. The rooms themselves are pretty great and the meals are pretty grand. But they may as well be prettied up prisons, seeing as they don't let you leave them unless it's your turn to duel."

Ruri gulped out of reflex, remembering the room she was in in Academia, Takumi putting a hand on her shoulder having seen it himself. He then looked over at Kiki. "Can you do anything about that?"

"Forget it. The security there is an annoying combination of new and old school. Each door has a pass card lock and a manual key lock. At best I can use the cameras and mics placed throughout the rooms along with the monitors used to watch the rest of the tournament to chat with people in there, but keeping it so no one finds out about it would be tricky."

"So you can spy, but talking will be tough."

"Pretty much." She then looked over at Reiji. "By the way, you said all of the other people you came with were locked up?"

"Yes. Tsukikage was able to track down their locations and confirmed that they all wound up in the same place. Shun, Gongenzaka, and the infiltrator Dennis were arrested when they were in an underground dueling ring, likely trying to use it to enter the Cup and find worthy allies for the fight. Yuya, Serena, and Sawatari were arrested this morning along with a couple of Commons, with Tsukikage barely getting Reira out of there in time."

"Sounds about right." Arashi said. "Those kids I came across said something pretty similar."

Reiji nodded and looked back at Kiki, who was typing away at her computer. "Will you be able to determine their statuses?"

"Already in the facility systems. They may be a concrete island in the water, but they still get news and messages from the mainland. Shame on them for not being better with their firewalls." Kiki sang. "Anyway, looks like most of them are in with the general population. However, Shun caused a ruckus on his first day and was thrown into solitary, while Serena was sent straight there the moment she arrived. Weird. Even says Roger scheduled a talk with her."

Takumi narrowed his eyes at that, before sharing a look with Reiji. "So, I really hope you don't plan on leaving them in there. You have a plan yet?"

Reiji looked across the screens, contemplating all he'd heard, before coming to a conclusion. "Of sorts." He then turned to the Misfits. "I would also appreciate your aid in this endeavor."

"What do you want us to do?" Seishi said eagerly.

* * *

Once everyone's roles were settled, everyone got to work preparing what they would be doing. Seishi and Arashi were plotting the safest course to getting Reiji to the council while Mei got help from Ryuuji and Ruri on figuring out supplies and transport to any allies that were sent underground during the tournament. Reiji, Takumi and Kiki however were working on the situation with the incarcerated Lancers and determining the best course of action to keeping them safe.

"I'm telling you guys, it isn't going to be so simple to get them out before Roger interferes." Kiki said. "Even if we get the council on your side, Roger can simply say the word "procedure" and use that to hold them for another day, plenty of time to get whatever he wants done. If you want them to get out unscathed, we need to figure out how to get them out ourselves."

Takumi growled at the thought while Reiji considered everything he knew. "… The one taking care of the kids…" That got both of them to look at him in confusion. "What can you tell me about him?"

Kiki didn't know where he was going with that, but complied and brought up a profile. "Let's see, Crow Hogan. Uses one of our liberated Wheels, given to him through a friend we helped out, though he modified it himself. Cares deeply about orphans and does what he can to help them. How does this help?"

"Because he'll try to escape tonight."

Two sets of eyes whirled to him. "Eh?!"

"Or at least at earliest." Reiji said, looking over the files and messages from the facility. "If he is truly as loyal as I believe, he will do everything in his power to check on the children he has placed under his care, children he doesn't know have been placed somewhere by your friend for their safety. And this," He then pointed at a message that went out recently. "is his mostly likely chance to do so."

Takumi raised a brow as he read. "Attention officers; a free period has been authorized for the inmates for a duel performance to maintain compliance. Proceed normally." Takumi blinked, before realizing what it could mean. "He might use it for a distraction!"

Kiki kept reading. "And it looks like two of your Lancer friends are among the 3 dueling. If they really are going to try and escape tonight, then we can probably use the chaos of this to our advantage to get them out." Kiki then shifted through a number of screens, trying to check something, when she spotted something and glared. "And it seems Roger has the same idea. He's placing officers around the facility to catch anyone who would attempt to get out!"

"What's their most likely exit?" Takumi interrupted, surprising Kiki, who then brought up some schematics of the place.

"Well, going by what I know, I would guess they'd try to swim across the water. Maybe… over here?" She then pointed to a section of the water between the prison and the mainland.

Takumi grinned before sharing a look with the other two. "I think I have a way to show the council a portion of our abilities."

* * *

Yuya looked on in fear, as Roger's Security shined their spotlights down on them in the water. They were all so close to escaping the facility, but now they were all right back where they started!

Roger smirked at the delinquents in floating in the water, and began to give orders to his men. "Secure the prisoners. This time, I'll make sure that they never even entertain the thought of esca-"

*BLEEP BLEEP! * *BLEEP BLEEP! *

"Huh?" Everyone froze and looked at the Holoscreen broadcasting the random noises from one of the Security vehicles. Roger observed the situation with annoyance. "A malfunction?"

An image of a yellow smiley face that looked like it belonged in Yuya's Smile World card then appeared on the screen for all to see, as an extremely high-pitch voice spoke out. "Attention everyone! Emergency weather report! Momentarily, we will see a powerful thunderstorm, followed by freezing winds and raining fireballs! Recommend immediate evacuation!"

Roger glared at the transmission in annoyance. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"Yes and no." Roger, as well as everyone else watching, were surprised as the transmission rotated the screen to directly face Roger. "For the 'No', I am telling you exactly what will happen. But as for the 'Yes…'" The smiley face then turned red, small horns appeared on the top, and the eyes narrowed into slits as the voice changed to one that sounded more computerized. "I just didn't tell you 'who' should be leaving, and 'who' would be the reason for it. And he doesn't care for how you're treating his friends…"

At the end of the sentence, everyone heard the crack of thunder, and looked up to see a thunderstorm that wasn't there before. As lightning dance across the clouds, a bright yellow figure emerged from the storm and flew in their direction. As several of the Lancers began to recognize the creature in disbelief, everyone began to notice a figure on the back of the large yellow bird.

"WHOOOHOOOO! LET'S GO KI-RAI! SHUT THEM DOWN WITH STATIC DISCHARGE!" As Takumi and Ki flew over the security forces, Ki released bursts of lightning that struck every spotlight, shorted out most of the vehicles, and sent some of the security officers on their rears or into walls.

As Roger recovered from the blasts, he looked on in annoyance at the new arrival. "Bring down that bird!"

As some of the officers prepped their disks and gave chase, Takumi flashed them a smirk and threw out an arm. "Ao-Yuki! Astound them with the Dance of the Northern Wind!"

As they approached the edge of a building, Ao came out from the other side in a spiral, creating a powerful and freezing wind that knocked all pursuing officers back at Roger's feet. As Ao continued her flight while spiraling, vehicles and machines shut down from the rapid build-up of frost and ice in their engines and caused the ground to becomes frozen and slippery. She then sent even more of the officers flying back from the force of the winds and sent the captive friend of Crow up into the waiting talons of Ki, as she completed a pass and prepared for another one.

As Roger and the officers struggled to recover from the 2 attacks, everyone watching from the water just floated there in surprise, those who know Takumi in disbelief that he was here, and those who don't in confusion as to who was helping them.

Roger looked on in fury at the 2 birds and their master. 'Who the hell is this?! I need deal with this quickly…' He then turned to all of the men he brought. "ALL OFFICERS, BRING DOWN THAT DUELIST IMMEDIATELY!"

As the once again spurred officers began to get up, Takumi decided it was time for the finishing blow. "Alright. Your turn Aka! Take them down with Cleansing Blaze!"

Roger then felt something similar to sunlight behind him and turned his head in confusion. Only for it to turn into shock as he saw the ruby-clad firebird flying their way from over the city with dozens of fireballs following it while more formed during the flight! With a cry, Aka then flew upwards leaving the fireballs to continue on their path unaided, straight for Roger and his men.

"DUCK FOR COVER!" At Roger's frightened warning, the officers moved to avoid the numerous fireballs, each striking the ground, a wall, the water, a vehicle and any number of other targets. While the blasts avoided the Security personal and didn't cause any direct harm, the shockwaves did knock everyone who was still standing down and keep those already on the ground where they were, as well as leaving very nice pillars of smoke (and steam from where they hit the water).

"Yeah! Strike 3, you're out! Hahahaha!" Takumi then guided the Trinity over to the floating escapees, a massive grin on his face. "Hey guys! Long time no see!"

Yuya, Shun, and Gongenzaka all looked at Takumi with grins of their own, while Sawatari was still in disbelief. "Takumi, you're alright!" "About time you showed up." "Now that was a manly entrance!"

Crow and the rest looked at them in surprise. "Wait, you know this guy?"

Yuya nodded at him. "Yeah. He's a friend of ours, but we lost track of him before we came here."

Takumi then interrupted him. "Yes, and as much as I'd like to go through introductions with everyone, I recommend we first get the hell out of here and away from Director Dirt-bag. Oh, and this guy here is with you lot, right?" Takumi then pointed to the hostage that Roger had with him, who looked like he was about to wet his pants from everything that's been happening.

Crow nodded, and Takumi smiled. "Good. Now then, if everyone could kindly board the nearest bird, we'd be happy to give you lot a ride out of here." With that, the Trinity lowered themselves enough for the swimmers to begin climbing on. Crow, Yuya, and Shun hopped on board Ki with Takumi, while the rest were scattered about the other 2. Takumi then gave the command, and they were flying away before Roger could even see that they had gone. (Though somehow, Sawatari had wound up hanging onto Aka by the talon.)

Takumi then turned his head and spoke loud enough for everyone (including the screaming Sawatari) to hear him. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for flying aboard Air Trinity! Please keep your hands and feet on the birds at all times, and we hope you all enjoy a pleasant escape from prison!"

* * *

After a while of fast flying, the Trinity had carried their passengers up into the night sky above the clouds and out of sight. "Think we lost them?" Takumi asked the thunderbird beneath him, giving out a confident cry in response and getting a grin out of Takumi. "Good to hear. Then ease up a little, some of these guys probably aren't used to being so high up in the air."

Ki nodded and slowed with the other two to a more leisurely speed, giving everyone time to relax and get a more comfortable grip on their rides. Meanwhile, Takumi keyed in a few things on his disk, starting a call. "Yo! How's things on your end?"

"They are going as anticipated, and they are indeed impressed. Master Reiji, Reira, and I are with them now in a private conference chamber and negotiating. When they say you are clear to come in, without consequence, we will be in touch."

"Roger that ninja guy! I'll just spend some time catching up with the guys. Over and out!" Takumi then ended the call and turned around so he was facing his pals. "Hey Yuya, Shun! So how's other-worldly prison?"

Shun smirked lightly at him while Yuya looked at him with a smile. "Takumi! Where have you been?! We thought Academia might have gotten you!"

Takumi rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Hahaha, yeah, that was a close one. I'm fairly certain the only reason I wasn't grabbed immediately was because everyone was currently sleeping or something." He then looked at the side with half-lidded eyes. "Though that didn't last for long…"

"Nice bird!" Takumi looked over at the guy he didn't know, a guy who had orange spiky hair and a brown vest, along with a number of interesting yellow tattoos on his face. He was looking at the Synchro monster he was currently riding on, eyes sweeping over every part he could see. "A bit too brightly colored for me, but still awesome!"

Takumi grinned at him and calmly stood up and walked over to him, Yuya looking nervous that he might fall, and held a hand out to him. "Thanks! I'm sure Ki here appreciates it too." A cry sounded out from the thunderbird at that, getting Takumi to look back really quick, before back at the stranger. "Like I said, he appreciates it! I'm Takumi. You?"

He got a smirk before he placed his own hand in Takumi's. "Names Crow!" He then pointed at a couple of the other people Takumi didn't know. "Those are my pals, Shinji, and Damon." He then leaned over a little and spotted the guy Takumi rescued from Roger's men. "And that guy down there is Troy. How ya doing pal?!"

Tony managed to turn his head and look at him, a look that pretty much advertised how freaked out he was. "GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!"

Takumi looked over himself and grimaced slightly. "Uh, yeah. Let's see if we can make him more comfortable." He then looked at the other two birds, and spotted someone that could be helpful on Aka. "Oi! Gongenzaka!"

"Hm?" The burly duelist looked over at him at his call, being one of the few who were standing like Takumi was. "Ah, Takumi! How have you been?!"

"Oh, been alright! Anyway, be ready to catch this guy!" He then pointed down, getting Gong to look down at the still freaking out Tony.

Gongenzaka raised a brow, before looking at him. "How exactly do you intend for me to do that?"

Takumi simply grinned, before leaning down and patting Ki on the back of the neck. "Alright, now!"

Ki let out a call and got higher than the other two, drifting over until he was directly above Aka, Tony looking down in worry and Gongenzaka's fellow passengers, Damon and Serena, looked up nervously. After a few moments, Ki looked down to assess everything, before he let go of Tony, getting him to scream like his life were ending from when he was let go, to a full minute after Gongenzaka had already caught him. Once he was done, he finally opened his eyes and looked at Gongenzaka. "You done yet?" The burly duelist said as Shinji was already working on the restraints still on him.

After Ki moved back into position, Takumi looked at the ones riding Aka with a smile, before looking at Crow. "Think he'll calm down a bit more?"

Crow looked at the scene with a nervous smile, Yuya following suit as Shun just watched passively. "Okay then…" Crow said after a few moments, but then looked lower. "But what about him?"

Takumi looked at him curiously, before glancing at where he was looking at Aka's feet. He then deadpanned a little as he saw the frozen visage of Sawatari as he apparently clung for life from the firebirds talons.

He then looked at Aka himself. "Oi, why didn't you tell me he was stuck on your feet?!"

Aka then turned his head slightly to look at him and gave a soft cry, getting Takumi to scrunch his face. "What do mean there wasn't time?! You could have literally told me like, 5 minutes ago when we got to the cloud cover!" Another cry. "Yeah, sure I was on the phone, but that doesn't mean-oh forget it. Just bring him over to Ao." While this was going on, some of those in earshot looked at him somewhat strangely for talking to their monster, while the rest simply attributed it to what they knew of him.

After nodding, Aka and Ao repeated what they did for Tony, only Dennis, Shinji, and the guy in the Kimono had to actually pry his stiff fingers off of the firebird themselves and gently lower him onto the back of Ao's neck, where he immediately latched onto the Icebird.

Takumi then blinked owlishly at the guy in the kimono. "Um, aren't you cold at all? The bird you're on specializes in ice, so she should be the coldest."

Kimono guy simply smiled at him. "No worries! I'm perfectly fine. So, you're a friend of Yuya's?"

Takumi nodded as he walked onto Ki's wing and leaped onto the edge of Ao's wing, before walking up to him, freaking out everyone who noticed and didn't know him, and only slightly worrying those that did. When he was right in front of the man, Takumi held out a hand. "Yup! Name's Takumi."

The man's smile shifted to a wide grin as he took his hand with his own. "Pleased to meet you Takumi! I'm Chojiro Tokumatsu, but everyone calls me Enjoy Chojiro!"

"Oh, sounds like someone I could get along with! Haha!" Takumi laughed, Shinji crouching up beside him, too worried about falling from this height to stand and walk.

"He was a pretty big celebrity back in the day, before the tops got him sent to the facility." He said, getting Takumi's attention.

He then held a hand to his chin in thought. "Hm? I feel like I've heard that somewhere… Oh well, I'll think about that later. Shinji right?" Takumi said, holding his hand out to him.

Shinij looked at him for a few moments, before taking the offered hand and shaking it. "Yeah. Thanks for the help back with Roger."

"No problem. You guys looked after my friends, right? The least I could do is return the favor as best I can."

"Speaking of, that was incredible!" Takumi turned his head to look at the one he's identified as Dennis, who was looking at him cheerily. "That was such an amazing performance!" He then happily held out a hand. "My names Dennis Macfield! LDS student from Broadway! Nice to meet you!"

For a fraction of a second, Takumi thought about pushing him off the bird and having one of his more… aggressive monsters grab and carry him for the rest of the trip, but then remembered Reiji's orders and did something he REALLY didn't want to do.

He smiled and shook Dennis' hand. "Nice to meet ya too! I'm Takumi!" He then looked away from the spy and looked down at Sawatari, who was slowly recovering. "Yo, Sawatari! How ya doing?"

At this point he was breathing heavily. "Hah… hah… hah… get me… hah… off this… thing…."

Takumi flinched slightly at that. "Uh, I wouldn't call Ao a 'thing' if I were you."

Sawatari looked up for a moment, and widened his eyes in fear as they met the glare of one of Ao's eyes as she looked at him, eliciting a whimper out of the scared boy. "I'm sorry." He said quietly.

Ao seemed to smirk before she returned her attention forward, Takumi laughing a little at the display. "Haha! Alright, I'm gonna go say hi to the guys on the other bird. Talk to ya guys later!" He then RAN onto Ao's wing, leaped onto Ki's wing, kept running to the next one, then leaped onto Aka's wing, hollering the whole time and causing more worry amongst the others.

When he landed on Aka's wing and trotted to his back, he kneeled down and patted the large bird. "Miss me partner?" As the firebird let out a low cry, Takumi smirked. "Yeah, yeah, you're a smartass, I know." He then stood up and looked into the imposing face of Gongenzaka, face dropping a little. "Uh, everything good?"

"Could you perhaps NOT perform stunts like that this high in the sky?"

Takumi blinked for a few moments, before looking over the side and under the Trinity, actually taking note of how high up they were. "… Huh. I hadn't actually thought about how high up we were before now. Cool." He finished with a grin before looking back calmly at the burly duelist. "Relax big guy, I know what I can and can't do enough to know when NOT to do something. Besides, I got great balance, and trust my partners too much to actually worry about something like this."

Gongenzaka merely sighed as Takumi then shifted his gaze over to the fusion version of Yuzu and Ruri. "… Wow, you really do look like you could be their twin! Serena, right?"

The former soldier slowly nodded at him. "And you would be Takumi. I believe we sort of met already?"

"So that really was you back then!" Takumi said with a smile, confusing Serena that he wasn't angry with her. "Don't worry, Reiji filled me in on everything. Glad to see you didn't want to continue going through with all that utopia trash the Professor was spouting."

She then looked down at the hand he was offering her like it was nothing, and then she looked back at him. "Just like that? I nearly carded a friend of yours and you're willing to accept me just like that?"

Takumi shrugged. "But you didn't. Plus, I've heard enough to be willing to trust you."

She looked at him thoughtfully for a few moments, before shaking his hand with her own. "Then it is good to know you are an ally. I've heard a great deal about what you can do, and this recent display has shown me that it isn't just talk."

"Then I look forward to fighting with you!" Takumi said with a grin, before walking back to the wing. "Alright everyone!" He called out, making sure everyone could hear him as he made his way back onto Ki. "Now we can't make a landing just yet! I've managed to get in touch with Reiji recently, hence how I knew to come for you guys now. Right now, we're waiting for a message from him before we can safely make our descent, without Roger and his people trying to arrest us as soon as we are revealed."

"What determines that?" Shun asked as Takumi made his way back onto Ki's back.

He then looked up for a few moments, before answering seriously. "Permission from the council to land on their tower."

"WHAT?!" Shinji called out in disbelief. "Why should we-?!"

"Easy there, I know some of those here might not want to! But think about it." Takumi placated. "The lot of us just performed a successful breakout from prison. Well, you got out and I carried you away, but I digress. If we don't get clearance to land, then there will be the largest manhunt in the City's history for us. However, if we can talk the council into letting us of the hook, then we won't need to worry about all that. I'll even look for a place to drop off the non-lancers so they can be left out of this. So can everyone wait patiently until we know whether or not we'll be safe?"

Shinji glared slightly at him, not happy with the logic, but begrudgingly taking a seat and keeping quiet.

Takumi let out a sigh of relief. "Ho-boy, that guy made me a bit nervous."

Crow smirked at him as he took a seat against the back of Ki's head. "Don't worry about Shinji. He can sting from time to time, but he always means well."

"Well as long as his sting doesn't sting me in the butt, I think we'll be good. Oh hey!" Takumi then turned to Yuya and Shun with a smile and spread his arms. "What do you think of the new wardrobe?"

"Definitely makes you look a bit more serious." Yuya commented. "What you wore before was more relaxed than this."

"True." Shun agreed. "I can definitely think of you being closer to being a true member of the Resistance dressed like that."

Takumi grinned widely at them. "Awesome! You hear that guys?!" Takumi directed his words to the Trinity, each letting out calls of congratulations.

"Why do you do that?" Crow questioned, getting Takumi's attention. "Why are you talking to your monsters like that? It's not like they're real."

Takumi just tilted his head to the side with a blank face. "Who says they aren't?"

The three who heard him simply blinked at him, before Crow continued. "I mean, they're just holograms with mass. The monsters are purely constructs, not creatures with emotion or anything."

"According to who?" Takumi said with a smirk. "Emotions aren't something that can be perceived with math and numbers. Personality can't be picked up by a machine or understood from a piece of paper." He then looked down and placed a hand to run through Ki's feathers. "Those things can only be experienced and responded to. Something that can only be noticed by those willing to pay attention."

He then looked right at the dumbstruck look of the fellow passengers of the Thunderbird. "Ki and his siblings have gotten me out of a good number of troublesome situations, so they are more than just holograms made from cards for me. Each one is a trusted partner and friend, someone who is irreplaceable to me. And I would never treat my friends as someone who wasn't able to think for themselves."

None of the others said a thing, thinking about his words as those on the other two were doing their own things, ignorant of the conversation on the Thunderbird. Takumi internally nodded to himself at his explanation. 'Good, that sounds more believable than actually being able to hear the voice of my monsters. Glad I rehearsed that while I was waiting up in the clouds for their escape to happen.'

Crow then let out a sigh. "Alright, alright. I won't argue this. But!" He then held up a finger. "I still reserve the right to think you're strange for talking to your monsters."

"Duly noted." Takumi said with a smirk before his disk started beeping. Bringing it up to his face, he saw Tsukikage on the screen. "Oh hey! Everything all clear?"

"Indeed. You now have clearance to land at the Council Building."

"Great! I just need to make a quick detour to drop off some locals and we'll be right-"

"Actually, it seems the council wants EVERYONE who is with you right now. Lancer or not."

Takumi frowned at that. "Uh, that wasn't the plan."

"Nonetheless, it is required of us. You must bring everyone you just liberated from Roger's men." Tsukikage then disconnected the call, leaving Takumi staring at a black screen.

"Well that was rude. Didn't even say goodbye." He then lowered his disk and smiled nervously at Crow. "So… Looks like I can't let you guys get away just yet…"

Crow sighed. "Yeah, I heard. Man, I still need to check in on those kids!"

"Kids?" Takumi then checked a note on his disk from earlier. "Uh, their names wouldn't happen to be Amanda, Frank, and Tanner would they?"

"THAT'S THEM!" Crow was instantly in Takumi's face with a hand gripping his shoulder, Takumi's eyes widening comically at the look on Crow's face. "How do you know them?!"

"Woah, woah, easy! A couple guys I ran into here are looking out for them, found them a safe place to stay for now! They're safe, trust me!"

Crow blinked at him a couple of times, before sighing from relief. "Thank goodness. I was really worried about them." He then took a seat again and looked at Takumi. "So who are these friends of yours looking out for them?"

"Apparently, a bunch of misfits messing with the law." Takumi said, Crow's eyes widening as he realized who Takumi was talking about.

"You gotta be kidding me! How did you get in touch with them?!"

Takumi thought back to the gang he went up against, and how the group saved him and the rest from Security, before smiling at Crow. "Let's just say they saved my hide, and are really awesome people. Anyway, I need to break the news to everyone."

After Takumi called out to everyone to let them know what was happening (with some "slight" irritation from Shinji), Takumi directed the Trinity to head to the council building, which came into view quickly after they came down under the clouds. After a few more minutes, they were touching down on a landing pad and a few people had met them there. Once Takumi had thanked the Trinity and everyone had gotten down safely, Takumi shut down his disk and went with the rest as they were ushered inside.

As they walked through the large hallways of the building, they eventually made it to the council chambers and stood before the 5 members of the Administrative Council.

"Thank you for coming as asked." The member on the far left said.

"Despite how you could have easily left the borders of our city with ease." Said the woman on the inner right.

"That said, I'm afraid we still need to hear the testimony of one more person before we can proceed." This came from a man who was in the inner left.

"Isn't that right, Chairman?" The man on the far right then looked right at the elderly man in the center.

"Indeed. Now please have patience." The man said with a smile.

Walking to the side of the chamber, Takumi raised an eyebrow in confusion, before looking back at the locales with him and asked quietly. "Do they always talk like this?"

Before anyone could answer, the door to the chamber was pushed open and they all looked in its direction, many of the Lancers and Commons, having slightly nervous reactions as the saw Roger enter the room, a look of calm anger on his face. When Roger directed his glare at Takumi, he simply blinked back at the official and muttered a silent curse of how this just HAD to happen as well.

Roger then turned his gaze to the Council. "As I've tried to tell you when you were telling me not to pursue, these people have incited Commons and planned to disrupt peace in the City!" He then pointed an accusing finger at the group. "This is clear from the testimonies of their arrested comrades!"

"Stop messing around!" Sawatari declared. "We don't know anything about a plan! We escaped the prison by chance!"

Roger looked at him with an unconvinced look. "Am I really to believe that from how your friend here was just CONVENIENTLY there in the sky to rescue you?" He then turned his gaze to where Takumi was, who was simply looking up with his hands behind his head and whistling innocently.

"THAT'S BESDE THE POINT! WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HE'D BE THERE!" Sawatari cried out. "What do you even think we were up to in the first place?!"

"Resisting Security alone is an indisputable crime."

"You guys started it first!" Yuya retorted. "The moment we arrived in this dimension, we were suddenly surrounded by Security…"

"Dimension?" Roger's eyes narrowed at that word, before he looked back at the Council. "Did you just hear that? He just said he 'arrived in this dimension'. What does he mean by that?"

"What does it sound like he means?" Takumi interjected, drawing Roger's attention. "It doesn't really leave a lot to interpretation."

"Dimension? What's that about?" Chojiro asked in confusion.

Ignoring Takumi, Roger kept talking. "If you take their words at face value, that means they came from another dimension. That also explains why they can use summoning methods that do not exist in this world." He then raised his hand and started counting out on his fingers. "Fusion. Xyz. And Pendulum."

Takumi then disrupted the building tension by clapping his hands. "Yay! Gold star for Mr. Roger!" Everyone then sent him a perplexing look, to which he just shrugged. "Well sorry, but listening to him like this is just making me bored."

Roger sent him another glare, before looking back at the neutral faces of the Council. "Do these users of unknown summoning methods have a purpose for appearing in the City? I ordered Security to arrest them in order to investigate that."

'His first instinct to people showing up out of nowhere is to arrest them?' Takumi thought with a deadpan look directed at Roger, who was apparently doing his best to ignore him at this point.

"From another dimension... Is that so Yuya?" Chojiro asked the tomato-head, the rest of the locales turning to look at him for an answer.

"Yeah. We came here from another dimension… A dimension called Standard. But please believe us. We didn't come to this dimension… to the Synchro Dimension, to cause trouble!"

Takumi then noticed Ki landing on his shoulder. "Boss-man 10 o'clock!"

Smirking, the two of them paid attention to the door leading into the room as Roger was about to respond, the doors opening to reveal Reiji, with Reira and Tsukikage at his side. "That's right." Reiji's calm declaration caught Roger by surprise as the leader of the Lancers stood at the top of the steps. "Our aim is not to cause mayhem."

"Akaba Reiji!" Sawatari cried out in shock as the Lancers looked glad to see him again, Yuya even happier to see Reira was alright.

"So they really were fine after all?" Serena asked.

"Of course." Takumi stated. "How else would we have gotten clearance to come here after that little show I put on for Roger here?" He then sent a cocky grin at the calm yet angry director.

Reiji was now descending the steps as he stared at Roger. "We Lancers came to this Synchro Dimension in order to protect it against Academia's invasion, as well as to join forces to win the dimensional war."

"Lancers?" Crow asked.

"Lance Defense Soldiers." Sawatari stated arrogantly. "The truth is, we're duel defense soldiers meant to take on Academia."

"A soldier? _YOU?_ " Chojiro said bluntly, earning a glare from the LDS student.

Roger then began to laugh loudly, getting Sawatari to round on him. "What's so funny?!"

"Please excuse me." Roger said, as he placed a fist over his mouth as he calmed himself down. ('You're not excused.' Takumi thought, getting a laugh out of Ki.) "But a dimensional war? And I'd wondered what you'd say…"

"It's no lie, got it?! Listen here. You may not believe this, but this world-"

"That's enough." The first council member interrupted. "We've heard from Akaba Reiji."

"About the dimensional wars…" Said the Councilor next to him.

"As well as about the Lancers." Said the woman.

"You even proved your abilities with the recent escape. Right, Chairman?" Said the last guy on the side.

"Yes, this talk is over." Said the afore mentioned Chairman.

"To think I bothered to go into so much detail…" Sawatari quietly complained.

"Relax man," Takumi said as he put a hand on his shoulder. "At least the rest of these guys know now." He then indicated the guys that came with them during the escape, making Sawatari feel a little better.

Unlike a certain director. "You heard about it? Does the Council believe such words? Such nonsense?!"

They started speaking in the same order as last time. "We do not know if it is nonsense."

"As there are now people who have indeed come from other dimensions."

"You believe in the existence of other dimensions, thus arrested them for investigation, right?"

Roger grimaced as his earlier wards came back to bite him, before he adopted a smug smile, glancing at the group. "Their aim. That's to invade our dimension, isn't it?"

"Wha-?!" "Don't spout such bull!" "That's nonsense!" Yuya, Sawatari, and Gongenzaka looked outraged at the false idea.

"We're not invaders!" Yuya called out.

"The invaders are Academia! We came here to protect this dimension!" Sawatari declared. "Akaba Reiji said that earlier too!"

"It is Security's duty to protect. Not yours." Roger stated.

"Now that's bull and you know it." Takumi stated. "If a small group like us can outsmart you as easily as we have, then how the hell can you protect this place any better than we can?"

Roger nearly snarled at Takumi's smirk. "Security will determine who you people are-"

"No. That's up to us." Roger looked up at the Council as they spoke up once more.

"In order to do that, the Administrative Council will handle everyone present."

"Everyone? You doubt me as well?" Chojiro said in shock. "Even though I've been in a detention facility for 10 years?!"

Takumi looked at him in surprise. '10 years?! Wow. Hang on, isn't that what the others said about…'

"There are no exceptions." The woman continued, snapping Takumi out of his thoughts.

"You're kidding?!"

"If you are our allies," One of the councilors said. "We would like you to prove that to us."

"Prove?! Like how?!" Sawatari asked.

'3… 2… 1…' Takumi thought, looking at Reiji, as he raised his head.

"Participate in the Friendship Cup."

"The Friendship Cup?!" Yuya said in surprise.

Reiji looked over at them as he spoke. "That is what the Administrative Council is aiming for. The Lancers participate in the tournament and display their skills as duel soldiers." Each Lancer took this information in their own way, their faces matching what they thought of the whole thing.

"Us too?" Chojiro said nervously.

"There are no exceptions." The woman repeated.

He then looked straight up at the council. "I… I can enter the City's largest duel tournament, the one I've been hearing about for so long?!"

"I personally would like for you to enter as well." The Chairman said. "The duelist Tokumatsu Chojiro was the catalyst for the formation of the Friendship Cup."

Takumi's eyes widened as he fully recalled what the Misfits were telling him earlier. 'No way. THIS is the guy they were talking about?! Oh boy, this will be interesting.'

"I'm the Catalyst?"

The Chairman closed his eyes as he recalled the events of that time. "10 years ago, your arrest led the Commons youth to revolt. In order to control the situation, the Duel Chasers were formed. However, disorder only increased as we enforced greater control… Ultimately, we came up with a duel tournament to promote harmony between Tops and Commons-the Friendship Cup. The winner earns the honor of being a shared king for both Tops and Commons. Just like the current Jack Atlas."

"What shared king?! I'm not entering this tournament!" Crow declared. "I refuse to put on a show for the Tops!"

"Crow…" Yuya looked at him sadly.

Shinji then got his friends attention, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel, but if we enter, Frank and the other kids can see that we're doing well." Crow looked down dejectedly, knowing that Shinji had a point.

Chojiro on the other hand looked like it was his birthday. "Alright! Now I can fulfill my promise to the children!"

"Alright Yuya!" Sawatari said as he stood next to the duelist in question. "Let's fire up the audiences of the Synchro Dimension with our entertainment duel!"

"More importantly, we have to find Yuzu soon…" Yuya said with determination.

"Oh?" Roger said curiously, getting their attention. "Hiiragi Yuzu is one of your comrades?"

Yuya looked at him in surprise, before in rising suspicion. "You… Don't tell me that… you've captured Yuzu-!"

"She hasn't been arrested." Roger said calmly. "She's an important duelist who's also participating in the Friendship Cup."

"Yuzu's entering the Friendship Cup?!" This got surprised reactions out of each of the Lancers, Shun being the most stoic about it as Takumi blinked his eyes wide in surprise.

Roger then gained a small smirk, before speaking again. "If you're that worried about her, I can let you see that she's doing well." At Yuya's confused look, Roger looked back at the Council. "I understand. I agree to their participation in the Friendship Cup as well. However, I would like to make a proposal."

"A proposal?" "What is it?"

Takumi narrowed his eyes as Roger continued. "Every year, on the eve of the Friendship Cup, the King carries out an exhibition match. How about letting him serve as the opponent?" Roger then pointed straight at Yuya, surprising said individual.

"Me?!"

"Why him?" The female councilor asked.

"From what I've seen, he's the most adept at this bizarre summon method called Pendulum. In order for the King to verify his true strength…"

"I see. Is that acceptable, Chairman?"

"Yes, that's fine. What about you?" The Chairman looked straight at Reiji for agreement.

"I have no objections." Reiji stated.

Takumi then stretched his arms above his head, before bringing them down to his side. 'Whelp, let the games begin I guess.'

* * *

[Spirit World]

Aka stood before a large crystal, floating in front of him on the cloud platform he stood upon now. It has been several days since they began to nurture the power within it, and now it was getting quite large. He could still feel that spark of life within it like before, but now it was more of a steady light that he could almost see for himself. "Hmm. Almost there…"

Ao then flew up and next to him as she gazed at the crystal as well. "I truly hope we've made the right choice in doing this. The source of this power isn't a pleasant thing…"

"Perhaps. But the sins of the predecessor are not the sins of the heir. All things have the right to choose what they will become." Aka began to walk around the crystal as he observed it. "And that is all we can do. We can teach it about the world, and we can teach it about its power. The only thing we cannot do for it is decide the path it will walk." He then looked his sister in the eye as he came back around to her. "All we can do about that, is have faith that it will choose the path that is best for all."

Ao looked at him for several moments, before letting out an irritated sigh. "Why must you always sound so wise and stuff. You know it just bugs the hell out of me and Ki!"

"Hahaha. I have to have fun somehow, don't I? Besides, it doesn't change the fact that I'm not wrong."

Ao just shook her head with a smile. "Fine, fine. Enough of that. I'm going to go speak with some of the Xyz spirits. You continue with whatever you were doing I guess." Ao then flew off, leaving her brother to gaze at the crystal once more, blinking when he thought he saw a slight shift within the crystal.

"… Soon…"

* * *

A/N: Alright, that's what I have so far, which means starting the next chapter everything will be about the events surrounding the Friendship Cup. That said, I'll be taking extra time on this one to figure out how things will go during this, such as decks that will be used and the characters that use them. Once I know how I want things to go, I should be able to put out chapters more easily.

As usual, please leave some feedback on how I did, and don't feel shy to leave a review or even send me a PM telling me what you think or if you have and ideas or questions for me. Every bit helps me improve, especially the criticism.

In other news, to keep my creativity fresh, I'll be starting up another story for Fairy Tail, introducing an OC of mine that I've had in my head for a long time now. To anyone who's interested, the name of the story is "A Heart of Crystal" and will be up shortly.

Anyway, thank you everyone for bearing with me for as long as you have. This story is now almost a year old on Fanfic! Each review, fav, and follow motivates me more and more to stay with this story and keep going with it.

So now, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, or whatever else you celebrate, I hope you all enjoy whatever you have this time of year.

Happy Holidays, and see you all next time or in my other story.


	23. Understanding the Situation

A/N: Heeey, so, sorry for the wait. This chapter had been messing with my head as I tried to figure out how I was going to do the start of the Friendship Cup and how my changes would influence things. In the end, I decided to double the number of contestants rather than try to replace one of the other characters in any of the duels that were canon with Takumi. Again, sorry for the delay and thank you all for your patience. I do hope you all like what I have for you now.

Review responses:

 **HunterHQ** : Thank you for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy this.

 **Aibcarrer2k** : The shadow realm tried to take me, but I annoyed it until it let me go. It is persistent however. Anyway, sorry for the wait and hope you like what I've got.

 **FurySong** : I'M STILL ALIVE! As for Shun, just wait.

 **Bluerose5** ( **guest** ): Finally updating, hope you like it.

 **Daffa** ( **guest** ): I enjoy this story too much to not continue it. It just might take some time between updates.

* * *

After everyone but Yuya was ushered out of the council chambers, they were then being escorted to where they would be able to rest in between matches and be able to observe the proceedings of the Cup like everyone else could. For security reasons, they were asked to relinquish their disks for the time being, but they were able to keep their decks.

Waving to the others, Takumi allowed himself to be taken to his room and took in the surroundings. There was a bed, one entire wall was a window with a curtain that could be drawn across, a chair in between, and a screen was setup on the wall opposite the large bed with a table/counter/desk space under it, another chair on the side near the window. After taking in these details, Takumi grinned, kicked off his shoes, and leapt onto the bed, spreading out on his back and enjoying how soft it was.

"Aaaaaahhh… Say what you will about this place being a glorified prison, but this is still the softest bed I've ever laid in. This might actually make me pass out if I'm not careful…"

"Then we'll have to do something about that."

Perking up at the voice he didn't expect to hear so soon, he sat up and looked at the screen, the smirking face of Kiki taking up the monitor. "Wow. You found me pretty quickly. I literally just entered the room about 5 minutes ago."

"Yup. And I gained access to the building's surveillance systems about an hour ago. I then followed your group on the monitors and waited until they chose a room for you, then narrowed stuff down from there. Don't worry, they do have you on camera as well but I started looping it the moment you laid back and began to enjoy the bed." Takumi chuckled sheepishly at that as he rubbed the back of his head. "Just don't move from that spot and fall back again when we're done talking, and it will be like nothing ever happened."

"… You are scary good at this you know that?"

"Just imagine what I could do if I was a villain." The grin she gave got Takumi to shiver involuntarily, resulting in a laugh out of Kiki.

"A-Anyway, can I assume you're here to tell me how things are going so far?"

"Yup. So far no problems with the plan and everyone's in the positions they need to be in. Though Ruri was feeling a little nervous without you around."

Takumi blushed a little at the devious smirk Kiki had, before shaking it off. "Okay then. But when you get a chance, could you figure out which room Shun is in, then find time to have Ruri talk to him? Neither have seen or heard from each other in a long time and it would help both immensely if they could at least talk to each other, to see for themselves that the other is okay."

He got a serious nod in response. "Alright. I'll start tapping into the cameras of everyone who seems to have gotten involved in this little shadow war you all got going on. Once I do that, I'll look into opportunities to see about letting the Kurosaki siblings talk."

"Okay. By the way, there's another name you should look into, Yuzu Hiiragi. Just heard she's also in the Cup though I have no idea how that came to be. Try to find where she is and make sure she's alright." He then smirked as a thought entered his head. "Hehe, I bet Yuya would love for a chance to talk to her as well. Think you can arrange that?"

Kiki's hands then came up as her fingers began to tap against each other, a devious grin on her own face. "Your words wouldn't have anything to do with a possible romantic interest between the two, would it?"

"That they would admit? Nope. That everyone else already sees? Most definitely yes."

"Hahaha! I'll try to resist the urge to record and embarrass them too much, but I'll see about letting them talk to each other at some point. Though connecting the 2 rooms won't be simple. Having that ninja act as a courier for a bit would be easier until I find some way to get that through their systems. Anything else to report?"

Takumi then laid back against the bed. "Other than the fact that THIS is the BEST bed I have laid on in my entire LIFE? You guys weren't kidding about these rooms being first-class suites! Almost makes up for being the equivalent to a prison cell. What about Dennis' disk? You get into it yet?"

"Lucky for us they left all of your disks in the same room, so tapping into his disk through the connection in yours was easy. Still gotta get through some firewalls and encryption software, but nothing I won't be able to get through at some point. Even better that they didn't leave the disk in the same room as the fella, or he might notice and try to bug out. Anyway, I'll do what I can to keep you appraised of any updates." With that, the screen shut off and Takumi waited a minute before sitting up, making sure Kiki had time to remove the loop from the surveillance systems.

Getting up, he walked over to the table under the screen and picked up a menu, seeing the room service options. As Takumi looked down the list, his eyes simply continued to widen. "Holy… Just look at all this fancy sounding food! And… What in the- how can this all be free!" He then closed it and looked up at the ceiling. "This is definitely my reward for doing so much good in the last week. There really is a god!"

"My, someone is getting a big head." Takumi looked back down at the table, smiling at the teasing look Ao was sending him. "Do you really get this way after only looking at the names of food?"

'Do you have the luxury of eating magnificent things?' Takumi communicated, being mindful of the surveillance systems to keep from looking like he was crazy on camera. '... Actually, do you? You are a spirit after all. I don't know how that works for you.'

"Not in the sense you do I suppose. Even if I were a physical bird from your world, an avian's sense of taste is far lower than that of a human's."

'Then you really don't have a means of judging me, do you?' Takumi 'said' with a smug look, before looking back at the menu to see what he could get for dinner. 'Anyway, what did you find?' As everyone was being herded out of the council chambers, Takumi had asked the Trinity to do a bit of scouting in case of emergency, and to see what kinds of people were also taking part and where everyone was in relation to each other. His reasoning was that in case of an Academia attack, he didn't want to be caught in a room with no way out to go and help.

"Yes, I completed my observations of the layout of this building. Anywhere you wish to get to will be simple to find a path for."

'Wow. That was faster than Ki's job. How'd you manage that so quickly?'

Ao seemed to smirk at that. "I am the one with power over the cold gales. It would be a simply matter to gather information about a structure while doing no more than thinking people had left the air conditioning a few degrees too much."

Takumi froze, blinked, then turned his gaze back at Ao. 'Hang on, did you just say you sent a cold breeze throughout the entire building to get a read on it? Without the aid of Solid Vision?'

"Why Takumi! Are you suggesting that such a trifling matter would be too much for a spirit such as I?" Ao said so in a faux accusing tone that set Takumi on edge, making him mentally decide to drop the subject and try to find a way to change topics.

The means came when a flash of yellow landed beside Ao and started gawking at her. "NO WAY! How did you manage to get here first?!"

Ao looked at Ki smugly while Takumi picked his smile back up. 'Short version? She cheated in an extraordinary way.'

Ki narrowed his eyes. "You used your wind powers then? Drat! Why didn't I use mine for electricity?!"

"Because you always act before thinking?" Ao said almost immediately, making Takumi fight the urge to laugh as Ki then chased Ao around the room as she laughed.

Letting them go for a minute, he then got them to sit still while addressing the Thunderbird. 'Alright, alright. How'd things go on your end, Ki?'

Ki glared once more at his sister, before looking back at Takumi. "Thanks to the amount of courage coming from each of the Lancers, as well as the other individuals being wrapped up in this Cup business, I was able to get an accurate read on where everyone was placed in this structure. There are certainly some strong fighters here, and it would be a great accomplishment to get some of them on our side. Especially with some of the powerful Synchro Spirits I'm feeling." He then shook a little with a wide grin on his beak. "Just the thought of seeing some of these spirits in action has me quivering with anticipation!"

'Haha, down boy.' Takumi used a tablet on the desk to order some pasta before taking a seat on the bed and turning on the TV. 'Well, you're about to see how strong the City's best is, so that may tide you over for a time. Let's see how Yuya compares to the mighty Jack Atlas."

Takumi watched the proceedings of the Cup, his bowl of spaghetti having arrived from a portion of the wall that opened and letting a sort of tray extend from the wall (making Takumi wonder just how much work and money they put into the tower itself), and smirked at the entrance Jack made onto the field. "Wow. He really likes to play to the audience… Wait, did he just declare we would win on the 3rd turn? Without waiting to see what Yuya can do yet? How much confidence does this guy have?"

"A lot." Takumi glanced to Ao and Ki watching the screen from the bed. "I can feel his willpower even from here. This is a man who puts his very being into every move he makes. Nothing is half-cocked, everything is his full effort and strength. There isn't an iota of doubt in anything he does."

"No kidding. And the Synchro energies I can see in him are incredible! I dare say that whatever he has for an ace partner is on my level of sheer power."

Takumi blinked at the spirits in shock of how much praise they were giving, before turning back to the screen. "Well then, we better see what this guy can do with all that power."

The duel then went underway, and Jack took the first turn like he said, Synchro Summoning his Red Wyvern almost immediately. After playing a face-down, he gave way to Yuya, who set Stargazer and Timegazer immediately, Pendulum Summoning his entire hand, before using those monsters to then call out Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon.

"Hehe, seems Yuya is going all out from the start." Ki commented, slightly impressed at the display of chained summoning methods Yuya was unleashing. "I can feel his desire to overcome the one that is called the strongest. He truly wishes to win."

Ao looked at the thoughtful frown on their partner's face. "Takumi? Is something the matter?"

Takumi's frown just deepened as he stared at the screen. "Well, something just feels off about Yuya. He looks less like he usually does, trying to wow the crowd with his Entertainment Dueling. Now it just seems like he's trying to win." The thunder and ice birds looked at the screen and then took notice of the same thing, that the usually hyper and cheery duelist now seemed more focus on victory than fun.

They watched as Yuya revealed the power of the Action Field that had been implemented into the tournament, bypassing the effects of Jack's Synchro monster, then using Dark Rebellion to siphon its power and destroy it. But when Yuya tried to end things with Rune-Eyes, Jack stopped both its attacks with an Action card and his face-down, which allowed him to revive his Synchro monster and the tuner used to summon it, Red Wyvern and Red Resonator, the latter of which healing him by the ATK of his Wyvern, simply making the audience cheer him on even more than before.

Then when he took his turn, he Synchro Summoned what could only be his ace, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, whose effect completely destroyed Yuya's dragons, leaving him open to a direct attack that finished him in the 3rd turn of the duel, just like Jack predicted.

Takumi could only stare in shock with his two spirits in a similar state, Ki taking a few steps forward to get a better look at the Synchro monster. "By Ra, I have never come across a beast such as this! Scarlight…" Ki then grinned fiercely. "I truly wish to battle with this one!"

'Glad to share the sentiment.' Takumi agreed, grinning despite himself at the thought of challenging a dragon such as that, but he reined himself in as he thought about Yuya. "But still, Yuya must be stinging after that defeat. I still remember what Reiji said about his last duel against Yuya before they came here, and it apparently took him some effort to get past his feelings of weakness. This no doubt would have hurt his pride and his spirit, perhaps even more so than how it hurt him physically. And if they're about to isolate him like they did the rest of us, who's going to be there to pick him back up?" The others nodded in agreement as they saw Yuya being carried off in a stretcher, before the cameras went back to showboating how strong Jack was.

Once that was done, the reporter (Melissa) began to reveal all the different contestants. Takumi recognized all the Lancers, but was surprised to see that someone who had the same face as Yuya was in the Cup as well. "Yugo, huh? Guess this guy is the Synchro counterpart to Yuya and Yuto. Guess he has a dragon of his own then?" Staring intently at the screen, he missed how Ao and Ki shared a glance with each other, and continued to look at the contestants. "Wow, certainly some tough looking people. 32 total participants then? Haaah… This is going to be tough, though I guess we aren't here just to compete."

"Indeed. We must open the eyes of the Synchro dimension." Ao said. "A great war is about to encroach on their doorstep, and they aren't ready to protect themselves. Not with the way they keep themselves divided."

Ki nodded in agreement. "Division only leads to weakness. They need to unify if they ever want to be more than what they are now. I may be capable of fighting entire armies, but even I can fall if I stand on my own. These Tops are far too greedy for their own good." He then turned to the others. "Say, why don't you let me cause some 'minor' damage to one of their 'higher living' columns when we go out? I promise I'll make it seem like an accident in the system!" Ki withered under the combined glares of his sister and keeper, before looking away dejectedly. "Fine…"

"Must you be so headstrong?" They all turned their heads to see Aka returning, immediately moving to Takumi's shoulder. "Violence is a deterrent at best, but never a solution. Think before you strike sometimes, brother."

Takumi turned his attention to the Firebird. 'How did things go for you?'

"I managed to track down the location of what I believe to be the Underground people get sent too should they lose in the Cup." Aka looked down sadly at that. "Hope, was very hard to find there. The mere absence of it is part of what lend me to come across it. To be forced to stay down there for so long, not even seeing the light of the sun…" The others were silent as they looked at Aka, before he turned to look Takumi right in the face with a look of determination. "We MUST work to change this world. This CANNOT be allowed to continue!"

'Aka…' Takumi looked at him for a few moments, before grinning widely. 'You bet! By the time the four of us, the Lancers, and the Misfits are done, everyone in the City will have Hope again!' The Trinity nodded with grins of their own, before they all began to pay attention to the rest of Melissa's words. When she was done, Takumi finished up his dinner and prepared for bed while the Trinity returned to the Spirit World for some matters they apparently had to take care of.

* * *

Shun stared out at the night sky through the window in his suite as he thought about how things were going. While he felt uncomfortable essentially being in a cage during the Cup, he begrudgingly admitted that they didn't have much choice. Then again, he was only here to see what this dimension had to offer in terms of warriors. If he had to play by their rules to do so, so be it.

In fact, he was already more at ease having run into Takumi again, having been admittedly worried about his fellow bird user that had somehow managed to gain his trust, despite him trying to prevent such from happening. He knew that he had proved to be resourceful, but to suddenly be pulled into the heart of enemy territory and to somehow escape in one piece? His respect for the duelist from Standard had only grown. The only issue he possibly could have had from that was that he didn't-

The plasma screen in his room turning on caught his attention, seeing as he wasn't the one to do so. Furrowing his brow, he moved to stand in front of it in curiosity. After a few moments, the screen changed from static to show a girl with long orange hair with purple highlights and violet eyes. Her face then gained a large smile as she seemed to look at him through the screen. "Oh, I gotcha! Shun, right?"

Eyes narrowed at her address. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"Wow, just as grumpy as described. Takumi got you down to a T."

The mention of Takumi got a surprised reaction out of Shun. "What? How do you know Takumi?"

"Easy there, Rebel Boy. Name's Kiki. Me and a few others ran into Takumi a little after he arrived in this dimension and managed to rope us into helping him and the rest of you. We're even playing babysitter/bodyguard for him while he was with the rest of you in the Cup."

Shun raised a brow in confusion. "Babysitter? What are you talking about?"

Kiki grinned widely at that. "Ah, you haven't heard. Guess Reiji hasn't had time to tell you yet. Let's just say, Bird Boy got you a souvenir." She then looked off to the side and called out to someone he couldn't see from the screen. "Hey, can you come over here for a second! Got something to show you!"

"What is it?" Though the speaker wasn't visible yet, Shun still froze in shock at the voice he would always recognize. After a few seconds, an extremely familiar face appeared on the screen with a curious expression, only to quickly shift into shocked joy as they recognized him as well. "Nii-san!"

"Ruri!" Shun was so overjoyed to see her again that he quickly closed the rest of the distance to the screen to grab it on each side almost as if he believed he could pull the screen away and be able to reach out to her. "Is that really you?! Are you okay?! Where are you?!"

Ruri looked at him with tears in her eyes as she smiled happily. "Y-Yes, it's me! I'm fine, Nii-san! I'm perfectly safe!"

Shun returned his own smile as he let out a sigh of release, the tension that had been building in him since Ruri's kidnapping just fading away as he slouched slightly. "Thank god… I was so worried…"

Ruri stepped closer to the camera as she beamed at him. "It's okay now, Nii-san. I'm fine. Takumi managed to save me in your stead."

"Takumi did?!"

Ruri nodded to his surprised expression. "Yeah. He told me how he met you and came to the decision to help you save me. If it weren't for the Blade Burner card you gave him, I might not have trusted a word he said. Hehe, he honestly just winged the rescue from there and we were both a little shocked at how it went."

"As was everyone at Academia." Another voice cut in and walked to Kiki's other side, Shun's eyes shifting to shock as he recognized the individual from the recordings of when Takumi disappeared. "When I heard about his little adventure, I thought for sure he had somehow planned it all from the beginning. Hearing from him that it was all improvised from start to finish was a complete upset in my opinion of him."

"RURI, GET AWAY FROM HIM! HE'S AN AGENT OF ACADEMIA!" Shun roared out, actually making Ryuuji pale and step back in slight fear of the protective big brother.

"N-Nii-san, please calm down!" Ruri held her hands up to the screen while Ryuuji slightly hid behind an amused Kiki. "It's okay, he isn't working with Academia anymore. In fact, he's half the reason Takumi and I were able to arrive in this dimension in the first place!"

"WHAT?!"

"It's true. He even helped Takumi protect me when we all arrived in this dimension. He even admitted that-"

"Ruri." Both Kurosakis turned their gazes to Ryuuji as he stepped back up. "Please, let me say it." He then looked right into the hateful eyes of Shun. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I condoned some pretty bad stuff. As part of Academia, I only cared about being strong. I was willing to do whatever it took to prove that my strength could overcome anything. But Takumi made me think of something an old friend of mine once tried to convince me of. Of exactly how twisted Academia truly is and what exactly I had become. Of what it was trying to make me into. So know this; as angry as you might be against Academia and the professor, I promise you I am just as angry for the things he made me do. For the people he made me betray just so I could want to continue to be his little soldier. Because of all this, you have my personal guarantee that any member of Academia that comes near her while I'm around, will have to go through me first."

Shun could only glare in suspicion at him. "How do you expect me to trust the word of an enemy?"

Ryuuji crossed his arms in response. "Because I can tell you who it was that kidnapped Ruri." Both siblings looked at him in shock at that. "As well as who it was that identified her as someone that the Professor personally wanted brought to Academia and greenlit the invasion. The first you may have trouble tracking down, and even more trying to beat them, but the latter you happen to know personally."

Shun looked at him in surprise at those words, then narrowed them into focus as he gave every ounce of focus to Ryuuji. "I'm listening…"

* * *

[Spirit World]

Once the Trinity had returned they immediately went to where they were keeping the crystal that pulsed with life and power, each of them looking at it which determination. Aka then stepped in front of his siblings and place a wing on the crystal, feeling the hum of energy that flowed through it. "We are nearly there. A day, maybe two, and it will be ready."

Ao nodded her head in satisfaction. "Indeed. I had my doubts before, but this has grown enough that I can feel the Will within it. It I may have been the source of it, it has since grown into something beautiful. I know that this being will surely be able to make the correct choices, not being swayed to do anything that goes against it."

"And its Courage is admirable." Ki said with a grin. "No matter what stands in its way, it will fight with every ounce of its strength to protect what they hold dear and remove all who would oppress them. I hate to admit it but, you seem to have been right once again, brother."

Aka smirked as he looked at his siblings. "Well, I always hope for the best after all." He then looked back at the crystal as the three of them began to feed it a little more energy. "Now then, let us facilitate its awakening as much as we can."

* * *

The next day found Takumi feeling slightly bored.

The room was great and all, but the people in charge didn't leave him with anything to do other than go over his deck, call up room service, and watch the proceedings of the tournament which had yet to go underway that day.

Kiki managed to get in touch with him that morning and used it to let him know what had changed so far. She was successful in letting Ruri and Shun talk to each other, making both feel much better. Ryuuji even found a way to convince Shun to give him a chance to be an ally for the time being, so Takumi didn't need to worry about Shun gunning for the Red-eyes user anytime soon. She also managed to tap into Dennis's disk to see what kind of information he had, mostly consisting on profiles on the Lancers' decks and styles. Once she had a bit more time, she'd be able to erase or change the data so the Professor wouldn't be able to get his hands on it. She also confirmed that she had managed to hack her way into the system enough to know what the lineup was going to be, though he declined her offer on letting him know what kind of decks his likely opponents would use.

He didn't want things to be too unfair.

After that, she confirmed for him that she would try to manage a way for everyone in the Lancers to talk to whoever they wanted with relative ease. She had even guaranteed a means of looking after anyone who was sent underground, and suggested getting Yuzu and Serena to their bunker should they be eliminated, considering that the two of them are important in whatever the Professor was up to and that they should be kept as safe as possible. Takumi somewhat agreed to her reasoning, not sure how the pair would think about that themselves, and asked her to confirm this plan with Reiji since they might need Tsukikage's help in getting them there.

After the planning session had ended Takumi was left with nothing to do, feeling rather irked at the people in charge for not providing enough ways to pass the time other than his deck, the room service (which he was not hungry enough to think about) and the tv that wouldn't show anything interesting when the tournament wasn't on. So in between the matches and in the morning and afternoon after, there wasn't really anything to watch.

That wasn't to say he didn't enjoy the matches themselves. He was impressed with how much Gong had improved, using Pendulum Synchro in his match against Crow, but his attention was admittedly more focused on the Blackwing monsters Crow was using, more than glad to see another duelist that used a winged beast deck. While he was glad that a fellow bird user won their match, he couldn't help but feel bad that Gong had to be the first one eliminated.

Then when Reira's match against Shinji began, he was a bit surprised that it was instead Tsukikage, but figured if the guy wound up losing he would be able to get out of the Underground with ease. That said, having met the guy (even if only for a few hours) he knew that Tsukikage would at least make it so that Shiji earned his victory properly. And boy did he. Those Battlewasp monsters truly felt like what Shiji believed them to be; the many commons who feel weak and powerless gathering together to become a nightmare for the strong.

But Takumi was left frowning at how Shinji behaved. It was nice to have everyone united under a single idea, but under a banner of violent revolution? The only thing that hate brings out is more hate. Violence begets more violence, vengeance breeds vengeance, and an endless cycle of rage just keeps rolling. If the commons started an uprising it would only lead to more pain and suffering, the likes of which could destroy this world long before Academia could arrive. Takumi may admire how strongly Shinji felt about his people, but he could never condone the tactics he's trying to use to bring about the future of liberty he desires.

The next duel was between Yuzu and Chojiro, and it was just the thing he needed to lift his spirits after the last match. He could truly see how that man had earned the name "Enjoy Chojiro" and even found himself being caught in the flow of that guy's charismatic dueling. That said, he did catch notice of every time he apologized to Yuzu whenever he believed he was about make things harder from her, making him believe that Chojiro knew about what would happen to those who lost. In the end though, Yuzu managed to take the victory with her Bloom Diva, using her effects to get around the restrictions Chojiro's cards placed on her. Still, Takumi had to admire the guy and everything he did. Even in the end, knowing his fate, he looked to the crowd and gave one more inspiring speech.

After that would be the match between Serena and Tony, and while it was interesting to see another user of zombie-type Synchros, it was far less impressive than finally seeing Serena's skills for himself… even if through a monitor. Her Lunalight monsters were pretty impressive, and the fusion monsters were pretty unique in the effects displayed. He couldn't think of any other monsters that could attack everything TWICE.

During the matches, the Trinity would appear at times to see the matches that interested them the most. Ki looked like he enjoyed watching the matches of Crow and Shinji, impressed with their handling of Synchro monsters as well as the strength of those monsters. He was also interested in seeing Enjoy Chojiro's match, and Ao had wanted to watch to see how Yuzu had grown since she had been taken from the Standard dimension, feeling her reinforced will even from there. And when Serena's match came up, Ki had left and Aka had shown up, he and Ao wanting to see her abilities themselves.

Though he had been a little curious about what they had been doing, especially since at least one of them was always in the Spirit World for some reason. They'd been somewhat secretive to him recently, promising him that they were doing something to help his chances of surviving against Academia but not telling him how they intended to do so. Still, he trusted them and decided to leave it be until they were ready to tell him everything.

But in between those matches and after the Cup had wrapped up for the day? He was bored out of his mind, having already rearranged his deck a dozen times out of having nothing else to do. Mrs. Hasegawa once said he was very much like a bird in his attitude, being carefree and always moving about. If she saw him now, she might call him a caged bird with no room to fly. And he wouldn't argue it one bit, being cooped up as he was. As such, he was going a bit stir crazy stuck in this room.

"RAAAGH! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"

Make that very stir crazy.

He then threw himself off the bed and strolled to the middle of the room, throwing his arms out and looking straight at the ceiling. "Hellooo? To anyone who can hear me, can you PLEASE give me something to do so I don't go CRAZY before my turn comes along?!" He then crossed his arms and sat on the edge of the bed, staring right at the screen that had a lame show on.

After a few moments, the screen changed to show Kiki with a smirk on her face. "You rang?"

"Please please PLEASE tell me you have something I can do!" Takumi threw his arms up in frustration. "There is only so much isolation a guy can take! Think you can patch me through to one of the other Lancers? Maybe even Reiji? I need to get an idea of how things are going on his end."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance?" Takumi's eyes widened slightly at seeing Tsukikage walk up from off screen, Kiki slightly jumping a little at his arrival.

Said hacker then looked at him with a glare. "There you go again! Quit sneaking up on me! I thought you were doing that task for Reiji?!"

The ninja of the moon nodded in affirmation. "Indeed. I had just returned when you were contacting Takumi. Apologies for startling you."

Kiki just closed her eyes, braced her arms on the armrests, and used her fingers to rub her forehead. "Ugh, I swear this guy is going to give me a heart attack!"

Clearing his throat to get their attention, Takumi looked pointedly at Tsukikage. "Moving on, what can you tell me about the current plan? Reiji got any ideas or suspicions?"

"Indeed. Master Reiji had asked me to take Master Reira's place in the match for two reasons. The main one was to respect Reira's wishes of not wanting to fight against Shinji, the man having shown him kindness in the past."

"And the other was so you could gather information after being sent underground?"

A nod was sent his way after he voiced his thought. "Indeed. Just now, he asked me to take advantage of my loss in order to gather any information I could about the current head of Security, Jean Micheal Roger."

This time, Takumi raised a brow in curiosity. "Really? Wouldn't Kiki be the one to ask? I thought she had access to all the information in the city?"

"Most of, and only the digital versions." She corrected him. "I can't learn about anything if there isn't anything digital connected to it. And as it happens, there isn't any digital paper trail about where Roger came from before presenting the specs for Real Solid Vision. It's almost as if he just popped out of thin air!"

"Master Reiji had similar thoughts." Tsukikage cut in. "It was why he had me looking for anything that might reveal his origins. Unfortunately, I have yet to uncover anything new that may shed some light. I will continue to make attempts over the course of the Friendship Cup, when he will most likely have his attention focused on the duels and less so on any security measures he might have prepared."

Takumi nodded at that. "Alright, sure. At least it's something. How're Gong, Chojiro, and Tony doing in the Underground?"

"I was able to secure the resources prepared by the rest of the Misfits and introduce them to it. They have so far managed to keep it quiet from the guards and even shared it with some of the others trapped there. They have agreed to bide their time until they have a chance to provide aid."

"Okay, that was something that had honestly worried me the most. At least things aren't going to be too bad down there. Keep us posted with any other updates please."

"Of course." He then turned into a blur and disappeared, Kiki looking every which way to see where he went.

She then gave up and shook her head. "I swear, that guy needs to learn how to be considerate of those who DON'T know when he arrives or leaves."

"He's a ninja, apparently raised that way. Not gonna be that simple." Takumi said with a smirk, having heard enough about his story to know that it would be as easy as getting Takumi to stop climbing trees when he was a kid (or now even).

Kiki just shook her head and looked about the different screens. "Alright, I'm gonna take some time to go over all the stuff we know and try to come up with ideas of what Roger may be thinking or what his origins are." She then looked back at him. "As for you, sorry to say I can't do much for your boredom. At least not without getting caught."

"Eh, it's alright." Takumi said, sitting back down where he was on the bed. "At least I have something to think about now. How'd you do on Dennis's disc so far?"

"About to crack through the last few safeguards, then I can use it however I want." Kiki began to grin widely at the thought. "Hehe, soon, I'll have hacked into something from another dimension! I get to finally scratch that off my bucket list!"

Takumi blinked a few times there. "… Your bucket list includes something like that?"

"Well, it was more along the lines of hacking into something no one else in this world had been able to access, and I think something from outside of this dimension counts towards that."

Takumi just looked at her, then chuckled as he shook his head. "Alright then, no arguments there. Final question then. How're Ruri and Ryuuji doing?"

Kiki grinned at that. "Ruri is doing much better than when she first showed up here with you two. Especially after talking to her brother. It's like she has a spring in her step and is constantly asking for updates on you and Shun. As for Ryuuji, he's actually been asking her and me for a couple of things. And before you ask, no I'm not telling you what it is." She ended with a smirk. "He asked that it be kept quiet until he was ready to reveal it."

Takumi grinned in anticipation, trying to imagine what it could be. "Well then, tell him I hope he can deliver."

"Will do. Try to stay sane in there please." With that, Kiki shut off the connection to his room and he fell backwards onto the bed.

"… Aaand, now I'm bored again."

* * *

The next day was both the same, yet drastically different for Takumi.

The first match of the day was Yuya versus one of the Security officers, but before the match even began Yuya told everyone about the Underground, Kiki later telling Takumi that he had apparently had a visit from Chojiro before his match yesterday and told him about it, among other things apparently. But he wasn't surprised when the people shrugged off what Yuya was saying, knowing that it would seem natural to anyone in this world of win-or-lose. If Yuya wanted to get through to them, he'd need to prove his ability to them first, and his last time in front of them all didn't really go well.

As the duel went on, Takumi was feeling worried at how reluctant Yuya seemed about dueling, even hesitating to attack on one of his turns, most likely out of concern about what would happen to his opponent should he win, that very hesitation costing him as his opponent, Duel Chaser 227, grabbed an Action card that blocked all attacks that turn.

Then he had stood in shock as DC 227, summoned a Fusion monster, not believing that they could get their hands on such a card so quickly after being recently introduced to Fusion monsters. Aka and Ki had shone up around then as they felt the presence of the Fusion monster that had Synchro monsters as materials. They all watched worried as Yuya had his monsters stolen and he struggled to fight back.

But it was soon after that that… something, happened.

Takumi could almost feel it, and not only did Aka and Ki stiffen when it occurred, but somehow Ao had sensed the change as well and came to see what was happening. As Yuya was being attacked directly, the look in his eyes seemed to change and he used the effects of his Pendulum monsters to protect himself, and then brought about a new Odd-eyes card on his next turn, Odd-eyes Saber Dragon. Using its effect, he destroyed the fusion monster, Goyo Emperor, and regained his monsters before using them to destroy DC 227's life points. Unlike earlier, there was no hesitation and even a little bit of savagery as he went after his opponent, nothing like the Yuya he knew until the match ended and he seemed to realize what he just did.

He noticed the Trinity sharing a few looks before they quickly zipped away back to the Spirit World before he could stop them. Now they were starting to worry him with the secrets being kept. He hoped that they would eventually come clean to him about everything, but until then he'd just have to wait until he couldn't stand it and begun to needle them until they talked.

The next match was with Sawatari against Yugo, and Ki came back to see how he dueled, apparently waiting for something. He seemed to still when Yugo revealed his Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, almost as if he were remembering something he rather didn't want to. Takumi was impressed with the fight Sawatari was putting against him with his Abyss Actors, and further impressed at how Yugo rose above his strategies and managed to claim victory from him. Though it almost felt like it was Yuya dueling at times instead of Yugo. Takumi chalked it up to the both of them having the same face and let it go.

The match after that was between Damon and a guy named Sergey. At first it looked like Damon was doing well, but Sergey then took victory in a move so sudden that no one could even tell how exactly he pulled it off. That was only a piece of what worried Takumi about the large duelist, as every bit about his behavior seemed off for some reason. Ao had agreed with him when she appeared, sensing something wrong about his will. Takumi decided right there that he would try to keep aware of anything that guy did.

The last match of the day was something he had been waiting for. Shun was paired up against Dennis, and Kiki had already told him that Shun was made fully aware of who he was and began to do everything he could to reveal him, finally managing to push Dennis into revealing his Polymerization card and later using a Fusion monster. Takumi recognized it as Chaos Ancient Gear Golem, the same kind of monster he had to fight back against while trying to survive the Academia forces back in the Fusion Dimension before Ryuuji had showed up to save his hide.

The monster turned out to be so powerful that it actually destroyed a part of the circuit while attacking Shun's Revolution Falcon, throwing it about and tearing it apart in the process. As Shun barely hung onto his life points, Dennis revealed his true personality in that turn and showed everyone who he truly was. However, Shun managed to turn things around in his favor when he called out his Satellite Cannon Falcon, using its effects to barrage the Chaos Giant until it was barely standing and then soared into the heavens to unleash the attack that ended the match, throwing Dennis clear off his D-wheel and leaving him without any life points.

As soon as it was over Takumi stood up and looked at the ceiling. "You there?" Kiki soon popped up on the screen with a serious look on her face, Ruri and Ryuuji right behind her. "Are you done with Dennis' disc yet?"

"Yup. I have full access and have already copied and began to adjust everything. Should they recover him, unless Academia is able to somehow access his memories to verify everything he says, then we should be able to fool them with false information. But it all comes down to what happens after that. Hopefully it will provide an advantage of some sort, but no way to tell yet."

"I'll take it. Have you heard anything from Tsukikage yet?"

"He stopped by a little while ago." Ryuuji put in. "Passed along a message from Reiji that he suspects Roger of being an agent from Academia. Would explain the Fusion card that was used against Yuya, seeing as DC 227 is one of his subordinates."

Takumi pinched the bridge of his nose at that. "Of course he might be. Only thing that makes sense for that. Any ideas what he's up to?"

Kiki shook her head at that. "Not yet, though most likely something to do with taking control of the City. Ninja-boy managed to gain access to and copied some of Roger's more "classified" files and managed to bring me a few things, hoping I could decode what he found while snooping. Still working through a few things but I'm making progress. Odds are that these will enlighten us on what he intends for this dimension."

"Okay, at least it's something. Think you can get in touch with Tsukikage for me?"

"I'm already here." The afore mentioned ninja appeared right behind the group at the bunker, shocking all three as he apparently had just arrived once more.

"WILL YOU QUIT DOING THAT ALREADY?!" Kiki shouted as Ruri calmed her heart and Ryuuji tried to move his arm away from where it was near his disk and about to activate it.

"Tsukikage." Takumi put in, taking their attention away. "Tell me from your experience. What are the odds that Yuzu and Selena are possible targets of Roger?"

"Very high." He responded instantly, making those with him look in curiosity. "Not only do we know that the Professor tried to keep Serena at Academia at every turn, but we have also confirmed that he has likely managed to acquire this world's version of Yuzu, known as Rin, some time back. I have also found evidence that Roger was greatly pursuing Yuzu when she appeared in this world through Security, and even attempted to apprehend her before she was placed under the protection of the Council for the Cup."

"In that case, I'd like to request with Reiji that you get them both to the Misfits' hideout as soon as you are able to, most likely whenever they get eliminated in the Cup. I would say 'if' but I want to assume the worst and be surprised when the best occurs."

"I will bring it up with him and see what I can do." He then flashed away before another word could be spoken.

Ruri then looked back at Takumi. "What about you? How are you doing?"

"As good as I can be being cooped up in this room. I think I can kinda understand what you went through now." He said with a small smile. "I just wish there was more I could do right now than mess with my deck, watch the Cup, and talk whenever Kiki hacks into my room's systems. What about everyone else?"

"They're just waiting for their chance to let loose." Ryuuji said with a smirk. "Everyone is still following the plan until something causes the plan to change. So for now, all is staying quiet."

"Good enough I suppose. Alright then, be careful everyone. If Roger is as intelligent as we think he might actually be, then we need to be careful that he doesn't catch on too quick about where you guys are hiding and starts making trouble."

"Don't worry about it." Ryuji said with a smirk. "I already kinda promised Shun I wouldn't let anything happen, and I'm not about to risk earning the ire of an over-protective big brother like him."

"Good, because he might actually kill you if anything happened to Ruri. Alright then, 2 more days left in the first round, so my turn better be coming up soon. Later guys." With that, Kiki shut off the connection and Takumi lay back on the bed, going through his head about everything that had happened in the last couple of days and letting out a sigh.

"I better get a chance to let out this energy at some point, because I am going nuts with the waiting and anticipation."

* * *

Takumi had watched another match, the winner being a Genex user that was semi impressive, but no one he thought he needed to keep note of yet. The match after that however was one that caught his attention, Ki coming in to watch it with him. "So we finally get to see what this guy can do."

"About time. I can practically feel the Synchro energies off of him, almost as if it were a gale barely being contained within them. This will definitely be an interesting match."

Down in what remained of the circuit, now being left alone as the contestants took to the skyways, Melissa called out from her booth.

"Our next contestant for the day comes from the noble Shikiumi family, one of the greatest contributors to overseas projects! Ladies and Gentlemen, the heir to the Shikiumi Company, give it up for Ren Shikiumi!" Appearing from one of the entrances was a sleek, pure white D-wheel with a similarly dressed rider that guided his D-wheel to the starting point.

"And his opponent is a spirited youth hailing from the Commons determined to give it his all! Give it up for, Arashi Storm!" Melissa wondered out loud, as Takumi watched from his seat when a very familiar form in a white suit with green accents, and a matching D-wheel came out, this time with the visor allowing the grinning face underneath to be seen.

Takumi's grin only widened as he saw Arashi waving to the crowd, placing himself near the starting line, letting his mind drift back and remember the plan that had been setup with Reiji.

[Flashback start]

"Enter the Cup with my Lancers."

Each Misfit let their eyes widen in shock, before Seishi began laughing. "HAHAHA! Oh man, that's a good one." He then looked at the stoic face of Reiji, his face dropping. "You're not kidding. What the hell?"

"If this Roger is the type of person I believe him to be, he will likely try to sabotage our efforts by placing individuals to challenge and bring down my Lancers, undermining them in front of the Council. What better way to divert his attention than with the very individuals who have no doubt been a thorn in his side for a while."

Mei glared at him and walked forward. "You expect the four of us, who have kept our identities secret for years, to just go out and announce ourselves!"

"Just three actually." He said, before pointing at Kiki. "I would prefer she stay here to keep an eye on things. Moreover, I never said you had to reveal who you really were. I suspect that with Kiki's abilities you could create aliases and have them entered into the tournament, bypassing Roger's authorizations."

"And show up as our personas when it's our turn to duel." Arashi finished, a look of thought on his face. He then looked at the hacker in question. "Think you could pull it off?"

"Changing the roster and inserting ourselves into a tournament broadcasted across the entire City?" Kiki's eyes sparkled at the thought. But then her eyes looked a little worried. "That said, we can't really hide what we look like. There isn't exactly a good way to keep your helmets on or faces hidden while in your rooms."

"Then this is the time we reveal what the three of us look like." Arashi said boldly, shocking all three of his friends. "Besides, if all goes well, we might not even be needed in the same capacity after the Cup."

"HOLD ON!" Mei shouted at her leader. "You can't possibly be thinking about agreeing to this?!"

"It's a good plan. Besides, if this war DOES come to this world, then Tops and Commons won't matter as much as they do now." Arashi stated calmly. "Besides, we can use this ourselves."

"Huh?"

Arashi looked at an ad for the tournament on the screen. "Those who win the tournament get the chance to challenge the King for the crown. If one of us gets to the top, we could gain a more concrete influence in the City, a chance to bring about real change. And on a slightly more personal note," Arashi smirked at the confidant image of Jack Atlas, the current King. "I've wanted a chance to challenge him for a while."

The rest of the Misfits looked at him in realization, before Mei backed down. "… Alright, fine. Maybe we can use this." She then glared at Reiji. "But still, you can't just ask us to put our necks on the line without something to show for it! You're practically asking us to be shields for your people!"

"True enough." Reiji then adjusted his glasses as he looked at her. "Then, how about this…"

After hearing what Reiji was offering, Mei's jaw hung open, thinking about what he had just told her. Several moments later, Mei smiled softly at that. "I suppose I can live with that."

"Count me in too!" Seishi declared.

Reiji nodded, before turning to the other three, Ryuuji standing up when he did. "Got anything for us?"

"Nothing as exciting. I would actually prefer you stayed here until needed. As much as I'd like to reveal Dennis immediately, I want to know for certain how much information he has. For that, we cannot reveal you too soon."

"Understandable. I'll be sure to provide whatever knowledge I can then."

After a nod of confirmation, he turned to Ruri. "From what I've heard, you have already been through enough for now. I recommend you also wait here where you would be safest."

Ruri let out a sigh of relief, before looking back at Reiji. "What about my brother?"

"I will make sure he knows you are safe." Reiji promised. "For now, focus on remaining so. Roger's interest in Serena alone of the group has me, concerned. Until we know why, I would prefer to play things safe."

"A good rule of thumb." Takumi said. "So, what about me boss man?"

"We will think of the best course of action for removing the Lancers from the facility. Once we have a plan, I would like for this group to provide me, Tsukikage, and Reira passage to the council building, where I will begin convincing them to aid us and give us a chance."

Arashi nodded at that. "There should be an entrance or two in the area. Seishi and I will start figuring that out. Mei, check how much supplies we have and what we might need. The Cup will be about a week, and we'll need to prepare to extract allies from the Underground as needed. Kiki, start preparing for access in the Cup all the way down to the rooms, the competitive roster, the underground access tunnels, and learn what you can about the facility and how to get the Lancers out."

As the three made various signs of confirmation, they all got started.

[Flashback end]

"Time to see what the leader of that ragtag group of misfits can do." Takumi said with anticipation, Ki just as ready as he was.

Meanwhile, in two other rooms of the building Takumi was in, Seishi and Mei were watching eagerly as Arashi appeared. "Looks like Arashi is going before me. Shame, I can never get ahead of that guy." Seishi said to himself, eager for the chance to perhaps go against his friend.

"Here's hoping that his opponent can make him take things seriously enough to hold nothing back." Mei spoke calmly, wondering how much of a fight this would turn into.

Back at the circuit, Melissa looked at Arashi in curiosity. "Hmm? I feel like I've seen that D-wheel before? Oh well, not much to worry about." She then grinned once again as Ren got a good look at his opponent beside him.

"Tch, they want me to duel against a lowly Common? This isn't even worth my time. I'll be sure to deal with you quickly." Ren said in disdain for Arashi.

Said duelist only looked at him with a confident grin. "Oh, underestimating me already? Sounds good to me, I love surprising people with how good I really am."

"Hmph. It seems you need to be put in your place. Don't say I didn't warn you." Ren spat looking forward once more.

"Hey now, no fighting!" Melissa complained childishly. "Settle any arguments in the duel!"

"Yes ma'am." Arashi said with a smile, annoying Ren further while also appeasing Melissa.

"Alright then! With that out of the way, let's get this started! Action Field on! Field open; Crossover Accel!" The field changed just as it did for every other duel so far and the Action cards scattered across the tracks.

"Duel mode: On. Auto-pilot Standby." The countdown then began in front of the two competitors as their D-wheels prepared for the match.

"Riding duel… Acceleration!" As soon as the timer hit zero, Arashi and Ren gunned it forward as much as they could.

"DUEL!"

* * *

A/N: That's all I have for now unfortunately, that said I hope you all enjoyed what I put together (late as it might be). Believe me I wanted this to get out earlier but I kept running into roadblocks trying to figure out how I was going to do this. Anyway, the next chapter will have Arashi's first duel in this story. I have it pretty much figured out how it will go and I hope you all enjoy what I have to show you once the next chapter goes out.

Until next time, please review to tell me what you think and leave a fav or follow if you haven't already. See you guys next time!


	24. The Sky and the Sea

A/N: Alright, sorry for the delay in this chapter, writing the dialogue for this was tricky and numerous events kept happening to keep me away from this. But it is finally done and ready to be posted, and I hope everyone reading this enjoys the duel you are about to see.

Reviews;

MoonlightDragonEmperor; Glad you liked that moment between Shun and Ruri and hope you enjoy what I have happening next.

HunterHQ; Yes, the deck itself and Dennis' memories may be enough for Academia to be able to research Pendulum cards, but that's just them taking a logical precaution as they are not fully aware of what Academia is capable of.

O; Sorry for the wait, hope you like this!

* * *

DUEL!

As the start was declared, Arashi shot forward right as his opponent did towards the gate. Ren's D-wheel was impressive, but Arashi's proved to be better with how much work he and the others had put into it as he shot through and onto the tracks first.

"And Arashi is the first out the gate, so the first turn goes to the spirited youth of the Commons!" Melissa called out with cheer.

Arashi grinned at that. "Alright! Well then, let's set things up! I'll start by summoning my Flying Kamikiri #1 in attack mode!" Appearing from a portal was a large humanoid insect, flapping its wings at high speeds and hovering just beside Arashi. "I then place 2 cards face-down and end my turn."

Ren raised an unimpressed eyebrow at what he saw. "That's it? A weak little bug is how you're opening move will go? How disappointing. Allow me to show you how to really duel. I draw!" Ren took a few moments to look at his cards before beginning. "I'll start by discarding the White Moray in my hand to Special Summon my White Stingray!" A pure white stingray emerged from a portal behind Ren and flew above him. "I also activate the Surface spell card, allowing me to revive the White Moray I sent to the graveyard." From the water beneath them, another pure white monster shot up and began to swim through the air right next to Ren.

Arashi could only grin at the monsters Ren was using. "Oh, so you like fish and Water monsters, eh? Looks like this will be an interesting match."

"Hardly, since this will be a slaughter." Ren said without much thought. "When White Moray is Summoned from the graveyard, it can be treated as a tuner monster! I tune my level 4 White Stingray with my level 2 White Moray!" His serpentine monster then formed two white synchro rings that Stingray flew into, becoming 4 stars. "Synchro Summon! Surface, level 6! White Aura Dolphin!" Appearing from the light was a pure white dolphin that made some clicking noises as it emerged.

"It's here!" Melissa cheered. "The Shikiumi family's signature style, Reincarnation Synchro! The majority of their monsters have a power where if they are summoned from the grave, they can be treated as tuners for a Synchro Summon!"

Whistling, Arashi looked at the Synchro monster in appreciation. "Not bad. That isn't exactly a common ability. Think that is enough to get you a victory?"

"It might be once I power him up with the Aqua Jet spell card, giving him a permanent 1000-point boost." Appearing from the water was a pair of silver wings with orange turbines underneath that spewed water as it traveled. As it reached the level of the track, WA Dolphin went up, then down so that it landed on the jet comfortably, then immediately letting out a sonic wave. "I'll also use the effect of my Synchro monster to halve the ATK of your bug!" As the waves hit Kamikiri, the green insect shook its head vigorously to try and maintain coherence.

Dolphin: 2400 – 3400

FK#1: 1400 – 700

"OH! In just one move, Ren has placed himself in an incredible advantage against Arashi!" Melissa relayed as the duel went on.

"Battle! White Aura Dolphin, destroy this pest!" Dolphin let out a few calls as the turbines on the jet increased in power, Dolphin beginning to ram into the weaker monster.

Off to the side, Arashi spotted a floating card and grabbed it as he passed, playing it immediately. "I activate the Action Card, Selection of Miracle! This lets me choose between 1 of 2 effects, and I choose to halve the damage!" Dolphin then rammed into the monster, destroying it instantly as a clear barrier surrounded Arashi and protected him from too much harm, but the impact still caused his D-wheel to swerve and let Ren get ahead of him.

Arashi: 4000 – 2650

Ren looked back with a sneer. "So you managed to weaken the damage you took. Seems those Action Cards really can be helpful at times. Still, you must understand the difference between us by now, can't you?"

"… Oh, I realize it." Ren was taken aback as Arashi looked at him with a playful grin. "Especially since you did exactly as I wanted you to!"

"What?!"

"You really shouldn't underestimate a card just because it's weak. Like Kamikiri for example! When that little guy is destroyed in battle, he lets me summon any WIND monster from my deck with 1500 or less ATK! So please welcome my Hunter Owl!" Green wind appeared and flowed together into a shape similar to a cocoon before bursting, revealing a humanoid owl with a scythe in its talons.

Ren looked at it with an unimpressed raised eyebrow. "A monster with only 1000 ATK this time? Now you really must be mad if you think that thing can turn things around with that thing."

"Maybe not on its own, but he's about to get some backup!" A blue aura then surrounded Hunter Owl as Arashi activated a face-down spell. "I activate Inferno Reckless Summon! This spell can only be activated while my opponent controls a monster and I Special Summon a monster with 1500 or less ATK! Now you can choose one of your monsters, then we both get to summon as many monsters that share a name with our monsters on the field as we can from our deck. But since your only option is a Synchro monster, I highly doubt you have any other Dolphin's in your Main Deck. So I'll just summon my remaining 2 Hunter Owls!" 2 more Owls joined the first, all three standing shoulder to shoulder as they stared down the opposing Synchro monster.

"You fool." Ren said almost bored. "It doesn't matter how many of those birds you summon. All of them are weak."

The Owls looked annoyed at that while Arashi only continued to grin. "I wouldn't badmouth my Owls if I were you. After all, birds eat fish for dinner. And these guys have just the effects to let me do just that! First of all, each Hunter Owl receives 500 ATK for each WIND monster on the field including themselves, so that's an extra 1500 points right there!" Each Hunter Owl placed the heads of their scythes together in a salute, a green aura surrounding them as their strength increased.

Hunter Owl x3: 1000 – 2500

Once that was over, the three separated and took to the air, going high above the track and looking menacingly down on Ren and Dolphin as they circled them. The Synchro monster actually looked a little fearful as Ren watched in confusion. "What the-?! What are they doing now?"

"My Hunter Owls have a second effect that prevents them from being selected as attack targets, so long as there is at least one other WIND monster on my field. And since Hunter Owls are WIND monsters, my so called weak birds make it so none of them can be attacked. In other words, I now have a trio of monsters you can't even touch with your Dolphin!"

"What?!"

"Incredible!" Melissa called out in shock. "In just one move, Arashi has gone from a disadvantage to a major protective lineup of strong monsters! Perhaps this young Common has more to them than meets the eye?"

"Not bad." Crow said impressed from where he watched the duel in his room. "This guy's got some skills. Wonder why I haven't heard of him before if he can pull a move like this from an opponent's attack."

"Alright!" Seishi cheered from his own room. "C'mon Arashi! Show these folks what you can really do!"

"Tch!" Ren looked at his card in frustration of his opponent's tactics, using his own action against him. "Fine then, I'll simply end my turn with a face-down!" As the card appeared beside his D-wheel momentarily, Arashi called the attention back to him.

"Not quite yet, as I activate my other face-down during your End Phase! Say hello to my continuous trap, **Jetstream**!" A funnel of wind began to manifest behind Arashi at that time. "During the End Phase of a turn when one of my WIND monsters was destroyed, like my Kamikiri, I can then summon from my deck any WIND monster whose level is at least 2 lower than what I lost!" A specter of his monster then appeared in front of the funnel quickly becoming particles of green light that were sucked inside, before a serpentine dragon looking creature appeared in yellow armor. "So I'll be summoning my level 2 Dragunity Javelin in defense mode with it! And as another WIND monster has arrived, my Owls get another boost."

Hunter Owlx3: 2500 – 3000

Ren began to look even more aggravated as Arashi gained even more from his own attack than he anticipated for him to pay, but refused to call it anything more than beginner's luck. No mere common can stand against a Top like him. "So you managed to bring out another weakling. No matter, I'll just get rid of it when my turn comes around!"

Arashi just kept smirking. "Oh, I am going to have so much fun showing you how strong I really am! My turn, I draw!" Eyeing the card he drew, he nearly cheered at what it was. "Alright! Now to really have some fun." He put the card in his hand before reaching for a different one. "First off, I activate Cards of Consonance. By discarding a Dragon-type tuner monster with 1000 or less ATK, I get to draw 2 cards. Lucky for me, the Dragunity Brandistock I just got fits the bill perfectly."

He then looked once more at the card he got. "Sorry pal, but trust me when I say you'll be right back." He then sent Brandistock to the grave and drew 2 new cards. "Ooh, these will come in handy. But for now, let's look back at that weakling you pointed out before!" Arashi looked over at Javelin with a smile. "Alright Javelin, time to lend a wing!" The dragon let out a cry before rising up towards the middle Owl high above. "You aren't the only one here with Synchros! I now tune my level 4 Hunter Owl with the level 2 Tuner monster Dragunity Javelin!" The familiar beam of Synchro light shone as Arashi performed the summon. " _Rider of the those who command the skies! Lead the charge, and shatter the mighty! Synchro Summon! Advance, Level 6! Dragunity Knight Vajrayana!"_

Shooting out from the pillar at high speeds was an orange blur, which could be made out several moments later as a large serpentine dragon in orange armor with a green gem on its chest. Standing on its back near the base of its head was a figure in similarly designed armor with feathered wings sprouting from their back and a spear in its hand, the other holding onto the back of the dragon. As the figure raised their spear hand to the air, the dragon let out a powerful roar before descending down below the road they were using. After it was below the duelists it curved and spiraled around the skyway before coming to rest on the left side of the bridge.

"OH?! And now Arashi summons a Synchro monster!" Melissa calls out in cheer. Takumi was expressing just as much interest in the Synchro monster, recognizing it as the figure that was summoned back when he first arrived in order for the Misfits to save his group from Security.

Meanwhile, the newly summoned monster caught the attention of Roger from where he observed the duel, recognizing the monster in the back of his mind. He then quickly ordered one of his people to do a data check on any previous records of seeing that monster appear while he paid close attention on the proceedings.

Back in the duel, Ren was unimpressed. "That's it? You traded 1 strong monster and a weakling for a weak Synchro? You only succeeded in making your other Owl's weaker by reducing the number of WIND monsters!"

Hunter Owlx2: 3000 – 2500

"Man, you are picky aren't you?" Arashi said without a care. "Then let me enlighten you a little bit! When Vajrayana is summoned, I can then equip him with any level 3 or lower dragon-type "Dragunity" monster in my graveyard. I pick the Brandistock I discarded at the start of my turn!" The dragon-rider then aimed its weapon out to the side, a small portal opening before letting out a small purple dragon in light blue armor, a spike mounted on its little head. It then let out a shriek as it flew behind and to the side of the figure on dragon-back.

Arashi then pulled a card from his hand. "Next, I activate the spell card Dragon Mastery, which lets me equip another dragon in my hand to a monster I control once per turn. I choose to equip Vajrayana with Dragunity Phalanx!" A new purple dragon but with a bulkier form and bronze armor appeared and flew on Vajrayana's other side. "And while Dragon Mastery is in play, all monsters equipped with a "Dragunity" monster gain 500 ATK!"

DKV: 1900 – 2400

Ren raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Only 2400? That might have given you a tie at best earlier, but my Dolphin is empowered by Aqua Jet! You are still 1000 points behind!"

"Which is where I bring into play the other effect of Vajrayana!" The knight then shared a look with Phalanx, the two of them nodding briefly, before Phalanx shot ahead of the others and glowed. "Once per turn, my Knight can send 1 card equipped to him to the graveyard to double his ATK! I release Phalanx!" Phalanx let out a high pitched war cry as it faded away, the light flowing over and covering the Synchro monster as rider and mount let out a war cry of their own.

DKV: 2400 – 4800

"Incredible! Just like that, Arashi has brought out a monster with nearly 5000 ATK!" Melissa called out in shock.

"Not bad." Shinji thought from his room, watching carefully.

Ren let his eyes bulged as the Knight turned to look at him. "4800 ATK?!"

"And all aimed right at you! Let's do this, partner!" Vajrayana then turned its attention on Dolphin as the dragon it rode let out a roar, before they both shot after it, an attack charging in the dragon's mouth.

Ren then spotted something up ahead. "May as well see if there really is a merit to those things!" Speeding up, he held his hand out and grabbed an Action card as it came up and quickly played it. "I activate the Action Card Miracle! This will both protect my monster and halve the damage!" Dolphin then began to glow as the attack struck, surviving the breath attack and shielding Ren.

Ren: 4000 – 3300

Ren looked back at Arashi with an arrogant smirk. "Hah! Now you've missed your chance to destroy my monster! And on my turn I will wipe the floor with that dragon of yours!"

Arashi only smirked back at his attitude. "So is this the part where I tell you Brandistock's effect?" Ren's smirk fell as Arashi grinned back at the small dragon next to his Synchro. "Because any monster equipped with Brandistock can attack twice per turn!" Brandistock then began to chirp rapidly as it cheered on Vajrayana, the Synchro raising his weapon with a war cry as a result. "Once more, pal! Zephyr Strike!" This time, Vajrayana urged their dragon forth to charge into Dolphin as Ren looked around for an action card, but failing to before his monster was pierced by the Synchro's weapon.

Dolphin let out a pained shriek before it shattered, the shockwave of the attack making Ren waver. "Gah!"

Ren: 3300 – 1900

"Ooooh!" Takumi stood up with awe as Ki was perched on his shoulder. "That thing is freaking awesome! I really want to go up against it!"

"If you think that's tough, you haven't seen nothing yet." Takumi looked at Ki in surprise at that statement. "That is certainly an ally he uses frequently, but this feeling… he has something even more powerful under his command, just waiting to be released."

"Really now? Well then," Takumi looked back at the screen with a grin. "let's wait and find out if he busts it out."

As Ren recovered, Arashi shot into the lead and looked back at him with a grin. "You doing alright, man? I hope I'm not surprising you too much."

Ren glared back at Arashi at that, before raising his hand. "When White Aura Dolphin is destroyed, I can revive it by banishing White Stingray in my graveyard!" A white light then shone out of the water below, before Dolphin once more shot out of the surface and took position in front of Ren in attack mode. "You won't be getting rid of my Synchro that easily!" Arashi just laughed at him. "What's so funny?!"

"Haha, dude, did you forget I still have my Owls in play?" In response, both Owls then brought themselves down from above as Ren paled. "I'll now attack your revived Dolphin with one of my Hunter Owls, currently with 100 more ATK than your Synchro!"

"Crud!" Ren spotted something up ahead and shot forward, Dolphin moving to the side right when the Owl charged, cleaving through it and shaving a few more points off of Ren.

Ren: 1900 – 1800

"I once again activate Dolphin's effect! I banish White Moray!" Once more Dolphin emerged, this time right as Ren was approaching an object on the track.

"Then I attack with my second Owl! Go!" As the second Owl charged after the fleeing Dolphin, Ren grabbed a card from the side and smirked.

"Finally, something I can use! I activate the Action Spell Evasion! I negate your attack!" Right before the Owl sliced through the Dolphin, it submerged and dodged the attack, the Hunter Owl looking about to try and find it, before giving up and going back to Arashi. A few seconds later, the Dolphin remerged and moved beside Ren.

"And Ren has managed to keep his Synchro, despite the onslaught of attacks from Arashi's monsters!" Melissa called out from her helicopter vantage point. "Can he manage to retake the advantage?!"

"Hmph, as if that will matter." Mei said as she relaxed against a wall while watching the screen. "Arashi's monsters won't be stopped by something like that, not permanently at least."

"C'mon, man, bust out the big guns!" Seishi nearly begged, as if trying to will his voice to reach Arashi.

Arashi simply shrugged at that. "Alright then. I guess I gotta get rid of it some other way. I place one card face-down and end my turn, ending Vajrayana's effect. Your move, Renny."

DKV: 4800 – 2400

"Shut up! Don't call me that!" Ren growled as he drew his next card. 'This damn Common, who does he think he is?!' Ren looked at the cards in his hand now, then smirked. 'Fine then. He wants to play hardball? I'll GIVE him hardball!' "I activate Pot of Greed! This lets me draw 2 cards from my deck! I then Summon my White Moray!" Joining his Dolphin through a portal was one of the earlier eel like creatures. "I now activate Dolphin's effect and halve your Synchro's ATK!" Dolphin then once more let out a sonic pulse, this time hitting Vajrayana.

DKV: 2400 – 1200

"Battle! I attack Vajrayana with Dolphin!" The Dolphin then charged at Arashi's Synchro, only for Arashi to smirk.

"I play my face-down! **Coriolis Crown**!" The dragon he controlled then let out a roar as it quickly ascended, both Owls following right after it. "This spell can only affect a WIND Synchro monster! Now, Vajrayana increases in power for up to 100x the combined levels of every other WIND monster in play, cannot be destroyed for the rest of the turn, and all battle damage to either of us through him is halved!" Once Vajrayana reached high above the tracks, it stopped and the rider raised their weapon high, both Owls then beginning to fly around the Synchro monster as it gathered energy in its weapon.

DKV: 1200 – 2000

The battle then continued with Dolphin flying up to ram at Vajrayana, only for it to deflect the attack with a tail slap, Arashi smirking at the frustrated Ren as his life points were only chipped away. "Sorry, looks like my monster gets to stay around for another turn at least."

Arashi: 2650 – 2450

"Oooh!" Yugo called out from where he sat at the edge of his bed watching the screen. "Where did he get a card like THAT!? Oh man, I've gotta see if he can give me any extras! No, wait, first I gotta see if I can get a match with him!"

Meanwhile, Ren was almost growling at the resilient Synchro monster. "GRRR! I have had ENOUGH of that thing! FINE THEN! I'll do this anyway! I activate my face-down, Urgent Tuning! With Dolphin's effect, it is treated as a tuner since I revived it! So I now tune it to White Moray!"

As the Synchro rings enveloped Moray, Arashi watched in interest as Ren called out a new monster. " _Great whale slumbering in the abyss, awaken in the deep between life and death! Synchro Summon! Come forth, level 8! White Aura Whale!"_ The pillar of light from the Synchro Summon then shot into the sea beneath them, before the surface began to shake and a large form arose from beneath. Soon, a pure white monster the same size and shape of a real whale emerged from the water and took to the air, the truly massive monster covering the duelists in its shadow as well as a good portion of the track.

"Once again we see the power of Reincarnation Synchro, this time with the appearance of a massive level 8 monster!" Melissa called out from the helicopter, before feeling a little nervous about how close they were to the beast. She then looked to the pilot anxiously. "Hey, uh, can we get a bit more distance please?"

Arashi looked at the colossal monster with wide eyes. "Woah. That's a big monster."

"And it's going to crush you!" Ren declared. "When White Aura Whale is Special Summoned, I can destroy every monster you control!" His Whale then began moved as if it were leaping out of water, the movement causing its massive tail to go up and threaten to go down on Arashi and his monsters.

"Due to the effect of Coriolis Crown, Vajrayana survives!" Arashi's Hunter Owls then shot ahead of the Synchro monster and raised their scythes high, ramming themselves into the tail and knocking it off course as they were destroyed. As a result, the tail slammed into the water rather than onto the track or into Arashi and his Synchro.

"Grr, I can still attack and hit your life points! White Aura Whale! Slam into that whelp of a Synchro monster!" Ren commended his monster as it then turned it head to look at the much smaller Synchro monster.

As it then moved forward in a ramming motion, Vajrayana shot straight above and flew along the top of the massive creature as it began to dive into the sea, the top of its tail clipping the dragon rider as they went by while it splashed into the water and right back up into the air, the spray of the water hitting Arashi and making him waver slightly.

Arashi: 2450 – 2050

"And just like that, Arashi's Synchro monster has survived yet another assault!" Melissa cheered. "What will it take to bring this mighty dragon rider down?"

Ren then looked back at his opponent's field and looked at the cards in their hand. 'Urgh, this Common… They aren't playing anything like those bottom-feeders typically do. I can't take any chances here. So maybe…' Ren then grinned as he pulled a card from his hand. "I now activate another Surface spell card, and revive a White Moray in my graveyard, turning it into a tuner from its effect!" The monster then reappeared and flew alongside him. "And now, I tune my Whale with White Moray!"

Arashi widened his eyes in surprise. "Now way, a level 10?!"

As the rings and stars appeared, Ren put on a massive grin as he chanted. " _Reclining dragon that sleeps at the pinnacle of creation! You in whom an all-knowing, all-powerful mind dwells! Awaken! Synchro Summon! Emerge from the depths, level 10! White Aura Biphamet_!"

Appearing with a roar was a large sea-serpent type of monster, possessing two heads on the ends of two long necks as both heads gave a mighty roar, before both heads curled in slightly to show it was in defense mode.

"It's here!" Melissa called out to the stunned viewers. "The legendary White God of the Shikiumi family, Biphamet! The mighty beast that has destroyed all whom dared to go against it!"

"This isn't good." Ki muttered, catching Takumi's attention. "That thing has a power I haven't seen before; I don't even know what to make of it."

"Could you bring it down?" Takumi asked.

"Hmm… perhaps in my evolved state I could match it, but I don't even understand this power I'm feeling. Let us first see what this beast can do." Takumi nodded at that as they looked back to the screen.

Arashi looked at it in shock, before giving a wide grin to Ren. "Oi, you've been holding out on me! That monster is incredible! I'm guessing this is your trump card?"

"Indeed." Ren said back smugly. "No one has ever gone against this white god of our family and managed to win. In the face of this divine monster, all resistance is futile! Rejoice, common. You have been deemed strong enough for me to call upon my family's strongest force! I end my turn with a face-down card!"

"I activate the effect of Jetstream!" Arashi called out. "Since WIND monsters I controlled were destroyed this turn, I can now summon any WIND monster from my deck that is at least 2 levels lower than that of the Hunter Owls I lost earlier. I summon the level 2 Dragunity Couse from my deck!" Appearing was a dragon in similar shape to Phalanx, except it had blue skin and wing membranes, purple armor, and what looked like a sword resting on its head. "Also, Vajrayana's ATK returns to normal as the effects of our cards expire!"

DKV: 2000 - 2400

"My turn, I draw!" Arashi looked at the card he drew and smiled. 'Alright! Primus Pilus! With him, I can pull out Pilum and start launching direct attacks!'

"I activate my face-down, **White Lock**!" Arashi looked back in surprise as Ren spoke in that confident arrogance of his. "I can only play this card while I have a White Aura monster on my field. As a result, you cannot summon any other monsters this turn!"

"Woah, seriously?!" Yuya called out in shock from his room. "A card that prevents summoning for a whole turn?!"

"No way that's fair!" Crow muttered from his own room.

Arashi blinked at that, before looking back at the monster he just drew, before looking back at Ren. "Huh. Didn't expect that. Okay then, plan B then." He then smiled widely. "Using Vajrayana's effect, I release Brandistock to double Vajrayna's ATK!" The tiny dragon then let out a small roar as it glowed and dissipated, particles of light flowing into the Synchro monster. "And all it'll cost me is the bonus he gains from Dragon Mastery."

DKV: 2400-1900-3800

Arashi then swiped an Action card. "Nice! I'll also be using the Action Card **Piercing Strikes**! This will boost Vajrayana's ATK by 500 and let him deal piercing damage!"

Ren then got a card of his own. "I counter with No Action, negating the effect of your Action Card!"

As Arashi's card was destroyed, he simply smirked. "Bummer. Oh well, I can still take out your Biphamet. Battle! Vajrayana! Take down that overgrown fish with Zephyr Strike!" As Vajrayana gave a war cry, the dragon it rode roared and charged at the opposing Synchro monster, the rider striking one of the heads as it passed by.

Arashi looked in glee at seeing Ren's so called trump card being defeated, but looked in shock as he saw the head he just destroyed starting to regenerate. "Huh? What? Was that an effect?"

"Hahaha! My Biphamet has no such effect to protect itself!" Ren laughed madly. "This is the power of a divine being, that no mere mortal can defeat!"

Arashi narrowed his eyes at that, before spotting another Action Card coming his way and snagged it. "Let's test that theory. I activate Second Attack! Vajrayana! Go again!" His synchro flew after the sea monster and this time struck the other head, Arashi watching with worry as the second head began to regenerate. "Okay, so this thing has some weird power that keeps it going strong. In that case, I switch Couse to defense mode and end my turn."

DKV: 3800 - 1900

"Hpmh! Now you see what kind of power you are up against! Allow me to show you just what it feels like to face such a divine being! I draw!" Ren then reached a hand out to his monster. "I now switch Biphamet to attack mode!" Both heads then reared up and growled menacingly at Arashi's dragons. "Battle! Biphamet! Destroy that eyesore of a Synchro monster once and for all!" One of the heads then had its eyes glow and a sphere of energy charged in its maw, before unleashing a powerful beam attack on Vajrayana and vaporizing it.

"Vajrayana!" Arashi called out as his life points were hit.

Arashi: 2050 – 650

"No way, he actually took out Vajrayana?!" Seishi called out in surprise. "Wow. Not many get to pull that off."

"Man, that sucks." Takumi said sadly. "I was hoping that guy would get to stay around the whole time."

Arashi grunted as he lost his favorite monster. "Well, that sucks. At least I still have Couse."

"Are so certain about that?" Ren said to his confusion. "Biphamet… Attack Dragunity Couse!"

"What!?" Arashi looked in shock as the second mouth began to charge an attack, spotting an action card coming up and grabbing it, smiling as he saw something he could use. "Alright! I activate Single Destruction, and destroy BIphamet with it!"

But as he played the card, he saw nothing but error messages saying he couldn't play the card. "WHAT?! Why not?!" In his shock, Biphamet had obliterated his last monster as a dust cloud erupted around him. "Gagh!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Ren cackled madly as he shot back in the lead. "This is what you get for challenging the likes of a god! You cannot hope to defeat Biphamet with your measly power!" He then took the last card in his hand. "And now, just to drive it home, I activate the spell White Barrier, as this card will protect any weaknesses I possess! Now then, take your turn and continue to struggle for the audience! With this, I will declare the end of my turn. So go ahead and use that trap of yours to bring out another monster, for whatever you bring out next, I will obliterate it!"

Mei just watched the duel passively. "What's he getting all excited for? The duel isn't over until the last life point runs out, and over reliance on a single card without a backup plan will do you no good. It's behavior like that that will cost him this match."

Arashi grit his teeth and looked at Biphamet, numerous questions running through his head. 'Okay, it cannot be destroyed, can somehow attack twice each turn, and something about it kept my Action Card from triggering. What's going on?!' He then looked at the action card now in his hand in confusion, before noting something in the text. 'Hang on… what if…'

He then looked back at Biphamet as if an epiphany had struck him, before looking ahead in determination. 'So THAT'S the kind of power it has. Alright then, in that case I just need to get "that" card in order to take it down. So then, here's to hoping I can get it.' "Alright then, if you insist. Since the highest level WIND monster I lost was the level 6 Vajrayana, I'll summon the level 4 Dragunity Militum from my deck in defense mode!" Appearing was a lightly armored humanoid figure with metallic wings on their back and a green and orange helmet covering their face, a pair of swords in hand.

"My turn, I draw!" Looking at the card he drew, he played it immediately. "I activate Graceful Charity. With it, I draw 3 cards then discard 2!"

"Really? You're going to bet things on luck of the draw?" Ren sneered. "No matter what you draw, it will not be enough to surpass the power of Biphamet!"

"Wanna bet! Because I'm not going to give up just because some big monster is standing-or in this case floating-in my way! Just like the wind, I will never stop going my own way and surpassing every obstacle that tries to hinder my freedom! DRAW!" He then took his top three cards and waited a moment to breathe before looking at them, before gaining a huge grin. "Alright! Just what I needed! I think I'll then get rid of these." He said as he sent the action card and the monster he had since his last turn, looking only at the cards he just got. "Now that I have this hand, there's no way your Biphamet is going to survive this turn!"

"What? Impossible! Three cards aren't enough to take down Biphamet!" Ren called out in defiance.

"If they're the right cards, they sure as hell can! First, by sending a Dragunity monster on my field to the graveyard, I can Special Summon Dragunity Arma Mystletainn from my hand!" As his Militum vanished from sight, a portal appeared in its place and a large dragon in yellow armor flew out and up, brandishing a large sword as it roared.

Ren just frowned at it. "That's it? That's what you're going to use to defeat my white god? You must be out of your mind!"

"Please, if anything I'm just getting warmed up!" Arashi declared as his new dragon aimed its sword to the side as it glowed. "When Mystletainn is summoned from my hand, I can equip him with any Dragunity monster in my graveyard! I choose the Dragunity Couse you destroyed last turn!" The smaller dragon then appeared with a light roar before Arashi picked up its card. "I then activate Couse's ability! When equipped to a monster, I can summon him to my field as a monster!"

Ren looked at him confused now. "Why would you do something as foolish as that? Such a weakling will only get destroyed again. If this is just so you can attempt to stall me, then you're wasting your time."

"I'd take another look at Couse if I were you." Arashi said with a calm smile. "After all, not only is he a tuner monster, but if I use him to summon a Dragunity Synchro monster, then I can treat him as a level 4 monster!"

Ren blinked at that, before looking at the two monsters on his field. "Hang on… but with those levels… don't tell me!"

"You guessed it! I now tune my level 6 Mystletainn with my level 4 Couse to bust out my own level 10 monster!" His dragons then shot up into the sky, the smaller dragon becoming four rings as Mystletainn flew through them. " _Heroic champion of the heavens! Shine a beacon of light for the weary and become the spear that brings down gods! Synchro Summon! Roar out, level 10! Dragunity Knight Ascalon!"_

Shooting out at rapid speeds was a massive golden dragon, 8 wings sprouting from it as it gave out a mighty roar. The dragon itself was more than twice the size of the orange armored dragon seen from the last Synchro monster, and humanoid birdman sitting behind its armored head and wielding a similarly golden spear.

"Woooaaah!" Was the sound escaping Takumi as he and Ki looked at the mighty Synchro that appeared. "That is freaking amazing! Ki, is this that monster you were talking about?!" Ki didn't answer as he looked straight at the level 10 monster with a grin on his beak.

Back in security headquarters, Roger shot up from his seat in shock, several chess pieces falling down from the board next to him. "WHAT?! But the only one with that monster is… no, it's not possible!"

"Eh?! Ascalon?!" Melissa called out in shock. "The Dragunity cards are one thing, but Ascalon?! There's only one duelist that has that card, the leader of the group known as the Misfits that have been plaguing Security for longer than any other group… Zephyr!"

"No way!" Were the words that escaped Shinji and Crow, knowing full well that only Zephyr had that card but both in shock that he had entered the Cup as well. Shinji then held a hand to his chin. "Wait a second, this is even better than I thought. With someone like the leader of the misfits in this cup, then it will be even easier to rouse the Commons against the Tops… Alright, take him down, Zephyr!"

"Woah, this guy is Zephyr?" Yugo said with a smile. "Alright, this Friendship Cup is getting more and more awesome by the minute!"

As numerous exclamations of shock and awe came from everyone watching, Arashi grinned at Melissa's commentary, before holding up a fist into the air. "You heard her, folks! The one before you now is the head of the most famous common-protecting group in the City, Zephyr of the Misfits! Now watch as I take down this so-called god in front of me!"

"Showboat." Mei said with a ghost of a smile. "At least he knows what he's doing."

"Ha! Alright Zephyr!" Seishi cheered. "Now fillet that overgrown fish!"

Back with Reiji, he was watching the proceedings of the duel with the council in their chambers, several of the councilors looking in shock at how the most notorious gang leader in the City had snuck into their tournament. Reiji himself however was merely contemplating how things were going. 'By now, Roger must be certain he is who he says he is. His most likely course of action as of now will be to focus some of his agents in the tournament on them, taking at least some of the pressure off of the Lancers, but the possibility of him pitting one or more of them against the Lancers must not be overlooked. Should that happen…'

With Roger, he was looking in shock at Arashi's declaration admitting who he was, before scowling and sitting back down, rearranging his chess pieces as he considered this new information. 'The Misfits? Here? How did they even get into this tournament without me noticing?! No matter, I suppose I'll just need to reprioritize who my agents need to go after.' Roger then sat back down after that and looked at the list of individuals he had arranged to be in the Cup for him. 'I will not fail in my plans. This City WILL be mine.'

At Arashi's declaration, cheers could be heard from the stadium even as far as Arashi and Ren were on the skyway, Ren looking at the new monster worriedly. 'S-Seriously?! I'm going up against someone with a criminal record like his?! He's infamous for taking down numerous Security without breaking a sweat, and always vanishing without a trace with the rest of his gang!' Ren then grit his teeth before looking back Arashi. "That's interesting and all, but our monsters' ATK points are equal and Biphamet cannot be destroyed by mortal beings! You still cannot win!"

"Wanna bet!" Arashi smirked as he pulled out another card. "I equip Ascalon with the spell card Dragunity Divine Lance!" Ascalon then raised its spear up high, before it began to glow brightly and shift its form. When the light died back down moments later, it had changed completely. The head of the weapon was now shaped similarly to the head armor of the dragon he rode, and there were even eight wing shaped components attached just above the handle and on the guard of the newly formed lance. "By the effect of this spell, the equipped monster gains ATK equal to 100x their level!"

Ascalon: 3300 – 4300

"I also activate the second effect of my Lance, allowing me to equip any Dragunity tuner monster from my deck to Ascalon! I choose a second Brandistock!" A familiar tiny dragon then emerged with a cheerful chirping noise. "With this he can now attack twice, and thanks to Dragon Mastery, his ATK goes up another 500! And with the newly acquired double attacking from Brandistock, this will finish it!"

Ascalon: 4300 – 4800

"WHAT?!" Ren called out in shock at the powerhouse now before him. "Grr, fine then! However, Biphamet cannot be destroyed, and White Barrier will protect my life points so long as I control two White monsters! You can't touch me!"

"Aha!" Arashi called out to Ren's confusion. "I knew it! That's the power of your dragon then, isn't it? The power to be treated as two monsters on the field!"

Ren looked at him in shock for a few moments, before sneering at him. "Well, I must admit I didn't think you would realize it this quickly. You're right. Biphamet's power lets it be treated as two monsters on the field. However did you manage to discover that so fast?"

"The Action card I got earlier." Arashi said with a grin. "Single Destruction can only activate while the opponent has only a single monster on the field. But since the card couldn't activate, that had to mean you had more than one monster on the field. It would also explain why attacking your monster wouldn't destroy it, and why it could somehow attack twice per turn."

"Indeed. Should one head fall, the other restores it!" Ren said with a manic smile. "Should one head be unable to act, the other shall strike! And that is how Biphamet is immortal and almighty, for it will never fall to the likes of a single monster! And from the effect of White Barrier, if a White monster I control is targeted for an attack and I have a non-targeted White monster in play, I take no battle or effect damage! And since you cannot target both my monsters for an attack at once, I am invincible!"

Arashi just grinned at him. "You do know I have one more card in my hand, right? So why don't you see what it is! The card that will help me defeat your god! I activate, **Tempest Spread!** " As the spell took hold, powerful winds began to spiral around Ascalon. "During this turn only, when Ascalon would activate an effect that targets a card, I can make him target ALL cards that fit the requirements!"

"So by now targeting both heads of Biphamet, I activate Ascalon's effect!" He then ejected a card from his graveyard and presented Vajrayana to Ren. "By banishing a Dragunity card from my graveyard, I can banish the target monsters! So say goodbye to Biphamet as it cast out of this realm!"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Ren called out in shock as Ascalon gained some more height, the winds surging around it beginning to gather in the maw of the dragon as a sphere of golden light began to form.

"Go, Ascalon! Avnge Vajrayana with Vanquishing Roar!" At Arashi's command, the dragon closed its maw for a moment, hiding the sphere of energy from sight, before roaring a bright beam of energy at Biphamet, the beam shifting to take the form of the earlier defeated Synchro monster as the dragon of Vajrayana roared on approached, piercing straight into the torso of Biphamet. As the Synchro monster called out in pain from both heads, cracks of light began to spread from the impact sight until Biphamet was completely glowing, before the light began to fade and leave nothing behind, the so-called immortal god leaving no trace behind.

"I-I-Impossible…" Ren could only look on in shock at what he witnessed, unable to comprehend that his family's trump card had been vanquished.

"And now, you are wide open." Arashi stated, before pointing ahead at him. "Ascalon, finish this bout with a direct attack!" As the rider gave a war cry, the dragon shot back down and began to spiral around the track, getting closer and closer to Ren as he was now snapping out of his shock and looking ahead for anything he could use. Spotting an Action card far ahead, he pushed his D-Wheel as hard as he could to try and get it before the Sycnrho could hit him.

Right when the card was a mere 10 meters away and Ren thought he could survive this turn, his hopes dashed as a shadow fell across him. As time seemed to slow down, he looked to see Ascalon right beside him, raising its weapon and bringing it down upon him, striking him before he could get to the action card and depleting his life points.

"GAAAGH!" Ren called out as his D-Wheel wavered and steam shot out from the braking system, Arashi shooting ahead of him with a cheer.

Ren: 1800 – 0

Arashi: WINNER!

"Unbelieveable!" Melissa cheered out. "The leader of the Misfits, Arashi the Zephyr, has slain the White God of the Shikiumi family and beaten Ren Shikiumi!" The audience roared as Arashi held a fist out to the sky, a wide grin on his face.

"Alright!" Seishi cheered out from his room. "Way to go, man!"

"Incredible…" Yuya said in awe at the match he and many others just witnessed.

"Oh man, that was awesome!" Takumi said excitedly to Ki. "I really wish I got the chance to duel him back at the hideout, because his monsters are amazing! I didn't know there were decks that used both winged beasts and dragons together! What about you, Ki?"

"It's definitely impressive, but there's something else about this…"

"Huh?" Takumi said in confusion.

"Believe me, he has certainly lived up to expectations. That said, the synchro energies I feel from him…" Ki said as he focused on Arashi through the screen. "It's almost as if he's still hiding his best monster."

"Wait, seriously? He has something MORE powerful?!"

"Perhaps. Either way, Arashi is one powerful duelist. You did a good job earning his favor."

"You're the one that told him where to find us you know." Takumi said with a slight deadpan to the thunderbird, whom had the decency to look away from him at that.

Back at the stadium, the two duelists had just pulled up to the cheers of the audience, Ren with grit teeth and feeling humiliated as Arashi pulled his helmet off to look at everyone who had just enjoyed the match. 'Seems like the part about making everyone have fun is happening well. Now then…' He then looked back at Ren, seeing him slumped over the handlebars of his D-wheel.

'How?! HOW COULD I HAVE LOST?! Biphamet has NEVER failed my family! So why…?! HOW COULD IT LEAD TO SOMEONE LIKE ME LOSING TO SOMEONE LIKE HIM?!' Ren yelled internally as he stared angrily at the Synchro monster still on his dash.

"That's a really awesome card." Ren froze for a moment, before looking up at the grinning Arashi next to him. "I've never seen anything like it! I wasn't even sure at first if I even could take I down. It really is the trump card of your family, isn't it?"

Ren scowled at him before looking away. "What, you want to rub it in some more?"

"Actually, was wondering if you'd like a rematch some time." Ren looked back at him in surprise at those words. "After all, that thing is amazing. Being able to go against it was absolutely incredible. If it weren't for those last cards I got, I'm pretty sure I might have lost that match. But next time, maybe don't pin everything on him?" Arashi said with a smirk. "Any duelist that thinks they've won solely on a single card being played, isn't prepared for when someone manages to overcome it. You always need to be ready for those who will have the means to counteract whatever you do, or you won't be able to grow as a duelist."

Ren blinked at him in thought, before looking down. After a few moments, a ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "Alright then, fine." He then climbed of his D-wheel and took the hand Arashi offered him. "You got me this time, but next we meet, I will be the one to destroy your Ascalon! You can be sure of that!"

"Glad to hear it!" Arashi smiled back at him.

Meanwhile, Melissa had just returned to the stadium and was frantically urging her crew out of the helicopter. "There's no doubt about it, it's definitely him! He's the leader of the gang which has made quite a name for themselves in the City in the last few years! I can smell a major scoop; I cannot miss this opportunity of a lifetime!" She quickly turned to the guy getting a camera ready. "What are you just standing there for?! Grab that camera already!"

Back with Arashi, he watched solemnly as Ren was led away by tournament staff, both of them knowing where he was heading and that there was nothing they could do to change it as of yet. 'He may be a Top, but no way he deserves to go down there.'

"Heeeyy!" He then turned to see a slightly amusing sight of Melissa with a couple of camera guys running with her, all of them panting when they got to him. "E-Excuse me! Arashi, or-or Zephyr, whichever is your real name!" Melissa panted, holding a mic up near him while the rest of her crew struggled a little to stay standing and their own equipment aimed at him.

Holding back a chuckle, Arashi smiled at them. "Either is fine. Both are accurate. Arashi is the name I was born with, while Zephyr was what my friends called me whenever we were out doing things."

"Arashi then!" Melissa said cheerily after catching her breath and gathering what energy she had left to continue the interview. "So it's really true? Are you actually the leader of the troublemakers known as 'the Misfits'?!"

Arashi actually chuckled at that. "I still remember when we got that name. At first it was just something Security called us, but then one of us took a liking to it and leaked it to the public. Gotta say, it's grown on me too. And don't call us troublemakers please, we actually do what we do to help deal with the troubles of others, so it's a little demeaning to hear us being called that. Even if partially true." He finished with a smirk.

"In that case, what reason do you have for being in the Friendship Cup? Aren't you on the Security's most wanted list? And what about the rest of your ragtag group? Are any of them also taking part in the tournament?!"

"Firstly, I will neither confirm nor deny whether or not any of my fellow Misfits are in this tournament." Arashi grinned. "And while we may indeed be on the most wanted list, those partaking in the Cup aren't likely to be arrested on the spot. But as for why I'm here, I believe it is safe to say that this year's cup will be like no other. That it will be the cornerstone to what the City will be like from today on. The events that will happen in this tournament will be unlike any other, and it is my firm belief that operating from the shadows like me and my friends have will not be enough anymore to fix what is wrong with our home. So here I am, stepping out into the light and facing the City with everything I have so that maybe others can learn from the example I wish to set. I came from nothing, but the efforts of me and the rest of the Misfits have spread hope to the commons that have felt trampled and mistreated. Others like Shinji are of the belief that overthrowing the tops with sheer numbers is the way to fix things, but answering treatment like that with violence and revolution won't change anything other than who holds the stick. Anger is not the answer, and I'm not entirely certain myself what is the answer. But I do know that I want to see how this tournament reflects the future of this City, and I am looking forward to what the other competitors will show us as well."

Cheers and applause met his words, Arashi then taking a moment to wave to the crowds as Melissa faced the camera with an excited grin. "You heard it here folks! Arashi the Zephyr, the most wanted individual in the City, has come out for us all out of the love of his home! And true to his words, I can safely say this will be a tournament to remember throughout the ages!"

"Heh, you actually gave a speech." Mei said in slight disbelief as many others, even some like Yuya and Yuzu were feeling moved by his words.

Shinji meanwhile looked at him in surprise. "Seriously? Someone like HIM doesn't understand that this is what we need to do? It's a pretty sentiment, but Tops won't listen to reason. Fine then, Zephyr. I'll do this myself."

Roger looked at the screen of the waving Arashi with a scowl. "This may cause me some issues…" He then looked at a series of cards he had prepped, hoping to use them against Jack in the future, but now looking to have new plans for them. "It seems someone like this Zephyr will require me to use these early. I must not allow anyone to interfere with my plans."

As Arashi left the stadium, Melissa called out to the crowds. "Well that was one exciting match between rebels and gods! Now, I hope you all are ready for our next matchup! Our next participants are going to be…!" She then pointed up at the main screen as it began to show the next duelists.

* * *

A/N: Alright, I hope you all enjoyed this. Back during the 5d's days, Dragunity was one of my favorite archetypes and I was really disappointed not to see it in the anime, so getting the chance to put it in my story was a must-have. Especially since they debuted a card like Ascalon! Anyway, I have a few more duels set in my mind, but am also considering "skipping" a few matches just to save time and be able to move this story through the Friendship Cup more easily. Thoughts?

That said, I at least have a few first round matches still planned and hope you all will enjoy them

Anyway, hope to keep you all returning to this story, despite how long it takes me on occasion to get new chapters out, and that you all are willing to share your opinions and ideas on how I'm doing and any thoughts on what I could do.

 **OC cards**

 **Jetstream:** Trap, continuous

During the End Phase of a turn where a WIND monster(s) you control was destroyed; You can target 1 WIND monster in your deck whose level is at least 2 lower than the destroyed monster with the highest level and either Special Summon it to your field or add it to your hand.

 **Coriolis Crown:** Spell, Quick-play

Target 1 WIND Synchro monster you control: This turn, it gains ATK and DEF equal to 100x the combined levels of every other WIND monster on the field, it cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects, and both player's take half as much battle damage from battles involving it.

 **White Lock** : Trap, normal

Activate only during the start of your opponent's turn while you control a "White" Synchro monster; neither player can summon any monsters this turn.

 **Tempest Spread:** Spell, Quick-play

Target 1 Wind Synchro monster you control and apply one of the following effects;  
1: This turn only, if it activates an effect that targets 1 or more of your opponent's cards, you may instead affect all cards that fit the listed conditions.  
2: This turn only, when it declares an attack against an opponent's monster, you can target any number of monsters your opponent controls and have it attack all targets simultaneously, but treat their combined ATK values as the effective ATK of the opposing monsters and this card becomes unaffected by their effects from attack declaration to the end of the Damage Step.


End file.
